At least eight Sri Lankan cricketers are returning home from Pakistan due to mounting security concerns, a Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) official has confirmed to AFP.
The players’ decision has thrown the remainder of the ongoing Pakistan–Sri Lanka ODI series, as well as the upcoming tri-nation T20 tournament involving Zimbabwe, into uncertainty.
On Tuesday, a suicide bombing outside a court complex in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, killed 12 people and injured 27 others. The site of the attack lies only 17 kilometres from Rawalpindi Stadium, where the Pakistan–Sri Lanka ODI series is taking place.
News of the attack understandably caused alarm among the Sri Lankan players. In an effort to reassure the touring side, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and the country’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, met the team during the first ODI on Tuesday, promising them “foolproof security.” To bolster protection, the Pakistan Army and the paramilitary Rangers were also assigned to the security detail. Despite these measures, anxiety among the Sri Lankan players remains high.
An SLC source told AFP that Thursday’s second ODI was now “uncertain”. However, the board is preparing to send replacement players to Pakistan to ensure the tri-nation series can proceed as planned.
SLC president Shammi Silva said an official statement regarding the continuation of the tour was being prepared but declined to give further details.
Pakistan won the first ODI in Rawalpindi on Tuesday by six runs. The remaining two matches of the series were scheduled for today (Thursday) and Saturday at the same venue.
In March 2009, the Sri Lankan team bus came under armed attack while en route to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for a Test match, injuring six players. The incident led to a six-year suspension of international cricket in Pakistan — a memory that continues to haunt Sri Lankan cricket to this day.