The Pakistan cricket team’s decision to hoist their national flag at the Mirpur ground here on Tuesday during a practice session has created a huge controversy ahead of the three-match T20I series against the host nation, with many Bangladeshi fans taking the move as a political message ahead of the golden jubilee celebrations of the nation’s independence.

With the Bangladeshi fans’ ire erupting on social media, the Pakistan Cricket Board swung into damage control mode and said their practice of hoisting the national flag during training sessions was not new and it had started some two months back.