What happened: The Pakistan cricket team on their tour to Bangladesh held the national flag during practice sessions. The Pakistani flag was seen heaved up during their practice session in Mirpur before the 1st Test match. Reportedly, the Bangladeshi players took this as a political message, as they filed a lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed against the 21-member squad of the Pakistan cricket team. Details: It is pertinent that the Bangladesh Cricket Board banned hoisting the national flag during practice sessions in 2014. However, after being subjected to criticism, the BCB took back their decision and allowed foreign nationals to carry their flags during practice sessions. On the other hand, Pakistan’s manager, Mansoor Rana, claimed that Saqlain Mushtaq’s strategy to bring the national flag during practice sessions helped boost motivation. However, after the Pakistani flag was seen during the training sessions, the Bangladeshi took it as a political message. One of the Bangladeshi cricket fan wrote on Facebook, “Many matches have been played. But neither party needed to practice hoisting the national flag on the ground. What does it indicate?”
Also: The Pakistan cricket team’s head coach, Saqlain Mushtaq, revealed that hoisting the national flag inspires and motivates the players. Pakistan was able to whitewash the T20I series against Bangladesh, as they now lock horns with the Bengal Tigers in the two-test match series.