Bangladesh wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim on Friday (January 17) withdrawn his name from their upcoming Pakistan tour due to security reasons. He made himself unavailable for the entire series which included three T20Is, two Tests, and one-off ODI. He has also officially informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the board also accepted his request as well.
However, he further revealed the reason behind his refusal to tour Pakistan, saying his family is afraid of the security condition there.
Mushfiqur Rahim reveals the reason
Mushfiqur said to the media on Friday, “I have already informed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that I am not going to Pakistan for the upcoming series. I have submitted an official letter, and BCB accepted that. Not just T20Is, I am unavailable for the entire series.”
He further continued, “My family is afraid of the security condition of Pakistan. In this situation, I can’t go to Pakistan and play cricket there. It is always tough for me to sit down from a series of Bangladesh national team. My family is not permitting me to go to Pakistan. Cricket is not bigger than life.”
However, he further admitted, “But at the same time, I would like to say that the situation in Pakistan is better than before. I toured Pakistan in 2008 before that incident (terror attack on Sri Lankan team in 2009). Pakistan is a wonderful place to play cricket. The wickets of Pakistan are batting-friendly and I will miss playing there. But if the situation gets better and remains better consistently, I would definitely love to go to Pakistan to play cricket.”
There are many players who did well in BPL and in India series. I will expect them to play well in the upcoming series as well. It’s an opportunity for the young guys. It’s really tough to play good cricket against a team like Pakistan in their home. But I believe the boys will pose a strong challenge,” he added.
Mushfiqur Rahim also revealed that he rejected Pakistan Super League (PSL) offer this year because the upcoming league will be played in Pakistan only for the very first time.
He concluded, “I had denied an offer to play in the PSL after knowing that the tournament will be entirely held in Pakistan. My family didn’t agree with it.”
