Bangladesh postpones home series v Pakistan

By Azad Majumder

DHAKA (Reuters) - The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has postponed this month's home series with Pakistan due to security concerns, the board said in a statement Thursday.

"We have been advised by the home ministry to postpone the tour until further notice," BCB media chief Jalal Yunus said.

Pakistan were due to arrive in Bangladesh Saturday to play two Twenty20 matches and five one-day internationals against the hosts from March 10 to 22.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt said the tour had been postponed by two weeks and the new dates would be announced later Thursday.

"The International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked the Bangladesh board to beef up security in light of what happened with the Sri Lankan team. So the Bangladesh board requested us to postpone the tour by two weeks and we said fine," Butt said.

"After Tuesday's incident we have to go through our government and get clearance for the tour which we are doing," he added.

The decision comes after the Sri Lanka cricket team was attacked by gunmen in the Pakistani city of Lahore as their bus approached the Gadaffi Stadium, wounding six players and an assistant coach.

Seven Pakistanis, six policemen and a bus driver, were killed in the ambush.