SLC threatens players with ‘formal review’ if they leave Pakistan; remaining matches postponed by a day
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has threatened players of the men’s national team and support staff with “a formal review” if they leave the ongoing Pakistan tour over security concerns. Several team members had asked to return to Sri Lanka, following the suicide bombing in Islamabad – the city they are staying in – on Tuesday. Players’ families in Sri Lanka had expressed their concerns over safety, in particular.”The support staff were very clear that we wanted to stay and complete the tour,” said Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s head coach. “But as the team management on tour, we heard the players concerns, and made sure we addressed them at length.”
Deliberations went late into the night on Wednesday regarding the future of the tour, with players, team management, SLC officials, and Pakistan security officials, all involved in the discussion. PCB chair and Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi himself is understood to have come to the team hotel to reassure Sri Lanka’s players, with other officials from Pakistan’s security establishment also assuring the team their security arrangements remained rigorous. In addition, they had provided assurances that safety protocols around the team hotel would be tightened, with a separate elevator and restaurant area likely to be set aside for the team.
With these talks concluding late and other logistics being thrown off by uncertainty, the two remaining ODIs in the series have now been pushed back a day. Naqvi announced that the matches will be played on November 14 and 16, when they had been scheduled for November 13 and 15. The first two matches of the T20I tri-series (featuring Zimbabwe) that follows the ODIs, have also been postponed by a day. That series will now also be entirely be played in Rawalpindi, when some matches had previously been scheduled for Lahore.
SLC said the board had assured players of their safety, and instructed the team to continue playing matches as scheduled. The board also laid out consequences for any member of the touring party who defies their instruction.
“If any player, players, or member of the support staff return despite SLC’s directives, a formal review will be conducted to assess their actions, and an appropriate decision will be made upon the conclusion of the review,” the board statement said.
Through the course of the day, SLC is understood to have stood firm against player requests to return home. Sri Lanka have only played one of the three ODIs that are scheduled, and also have a T20I tri-series to play in Pakistan immediately after. Nevertheless, pressure from players had forced another meeting.
SLC’s statement said the board had worked quickly to allay fears.
“Following this development, SLC immediately engaged with the players and assured them that all such concerns are being duly addressed in close coordination with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of the touring party.”
Naqvi is understood to have decided to meet Sri Lanka’s players to reassure them regarding their safety and encourage them to continue the tour. Earlier on Wednesday, he met with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan, Fred Siriweera. The PCB released a statement saying a detailed briefing on the security provided to the Sri Lankan team was provided, and that Siriweera expressed his satisfaction over the arrangements.
A Sri Lankan team had suffered a terrorist attack in Pakistan in 2009, in Lahore. Sri Lanka had been among the first teams to resume tours to Pakistan after the long exile, however.
