Sri Lankan Board Overrules Players’ Security Concerns, Confirms Pakistan Tour Will Go Ahead

The upcoming T20I tri-series between Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and hosts Pakistan, has also been postponed by a day due to the Islamabad attack.

Sri Lankan Board Overrules Players’ Security Concerns, Confirms Pakistan Tour Will Go Ahead

Sri Lankan players have left Pakistan midway through the ODI series, owing to security concerns. (via Hindustan Times)

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The ongoing ODI series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan has been thrown into jeopardy, after Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) threatened its players with strict action as they pulled out of the tour. SLC confirmed that the series would go ahead, despite security concerns in Pakistan.

At least 12 people were killed, after a bomb blast ripped through Islamabad. The powerful explosion, said to have been carried out by a suicide bomber, occurred outside the bustling Islamabad judicial complex. The attack not only stalled life in the country’s capital, but also brought Pakistan’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi, only 17 kms away from where the attack took place, to a halt.

In its aftermath, several members of the Sri Lankan cricket team requested to return back home, with the players’ families also expressing their concerns over safety, in particular. However, the Sri Lankan cricket board threatened those players with strict actions and a formal review, should they depart.

Discussions on the tour’s continuity went late into the night, with the PCB officials, including chief Mohsin Naqvi, and Pakistani security personnel, assuring the Sri Lankan team about the security arrangements. 

After deliberations, the two remaining ODIs of three-match tour to Pakistan have now been pushed back by a day, to November 14 and 16. Sri Lanka Cricket strongly urged its players to continue, even going to an extent to threaten them with consequences. Defying those, 16 members of the Sri Lankan team have already left, with SLC informing PCB that replacement players would join the team soon. 

It has also come to light that the Lankan Cricket Board has now arranged for a separate team to fly to Pakistan, to complete the remainder of the tour. The terrorist attack brings back a lot of sour memories for the touring Sri Lankan cricket team, which was infamously under attack in 2009. Masked terrorists opened fire on the team bus carrying the players to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, ultimately sidelining Pakistan as an international cricket hosts for a decade. 

It remains to be seen what lies ahead, given the Sri Lankan team has now fallen short of players to field in the second ODI against Pakistan. The task of bringing new players into the team would be difficult for SLC, given the returning players would brief the others about the situation. 

Salman Agha and Haris Rauf seal win for Pakistan, before security fears overshadow series against Sri Lanka

Before the future of the three-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was thrown into doubt, Pakistan gained a 1-0 lead over the visitors, by winning the first match. The match went down to the wire, with the hosts claiming victory in the end by a margin of just six runs. 

Pakistan win over Sri Lanka
Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by six runs, in the first ODI in Rawalpindi. (via India Today)

Opting to bat first, the Men in Green posted a decent first innings total of 299/5. Pakistan’s batting effort was guided by an impressive 105-run innings off just 87 deliveries from Salman Agha, who recorded only his second hundred in the 50-over format. Hussain Talat finished as the second-highest run-scorer with 62 runs off 63 balls, while Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz contributed with 30-run knocks. 

With a challenging 300-run target to chase, Sri Lanka got off to a good start, thanks to an 85-run opening stand between Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara. However, once the two openers were dismissed by Haris Rauf in consecutive overs, the visitors struggled, despite Wanindu Hasaranga 59-run effort in the end. For the home side, Rauf picked up a crucial four-wicket haul. 

Pakistan has now won three out of its four ODIs at home this month, having previously secured a 2-1 series victory over South Africa. However, the remaining two ODIs against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi might be called off, given the tense security situation in the country.

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