The Pakistan national cricket team reached Dhaka yesterday amid heavy security. The Pakistan International Airlines flight PK266 carrying the players touched down Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on time in the afternoon, but the beefed up security measures disabled any communication between the players and the waiting journalists later.
It is understood that the anti-Pakistan sentiment with trial of the war criminals in the country has made the BCB and the security agencies take extra measures. Usually when any national team arrives, Bangladesh has a norm of greeting them with a good amount of Bangladesh Cricket Board employees and media personals in the VIP arrival area. However, a glimpse of the Pakistani cricketers was not available, let alone an arrival press conference.
The BCB officials also had restricted access. Only a few board employees along with BCB vice-president Mahbub Anam were allowed to receive the Pakistan team and sources confirmed, the immigration formalities were also completed in a hurry.
More armed security personals escorted the visitors’ bus, with heavily tinted glasses, to their team hotel. The photographers who waited outside the airport, finally were ableto get a snap when the team reached hotel. Pakistan will hold its first practice session today at the National Cricket Academy ground in Mirpur.