ISLAMABAD (AP) — Sri Lanka Cricket has directed its national team to continue its tour to Pakistan despite several players wanting leave because of safety concerns.
A suicide bomber detonated explosives and killed 12 people outside a court in Islamabad on Tuesday, hours before Sri Lanka’s one-day cricket international against Pakistan nearby in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also interior minister in the government, assured the visiting team of strong security during his meeting with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Islamabad on Wednesday. Managers of both the Sri Lanka and Pakistan cricket teams and top security officials attended the session.
Naqvi also visited the Pindi Cricket Stadium and reviewed security arrangements.
Sri Lanka’s cricket board issued a statement Wednesday saying that players’ security concerns “are being duly addressed in close coordination with the PCB and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of the touring party.”
The SLC also said if any player or member of the support staff return home despite its directives, “a formal review will be conducted to assess their actions, and an appropriate decision will be made upon the conclusion of the review.”
It added that replacement players would be sent to Pakistan to ensure that the tour continues without interruption.
Naqvi thanked the Sri Lankan cricket administration for its decision to continue with the tour.
“The spirit of sportsmanship and solidarity shines bright,” Naqvi wrote on X, adding that the remaining two one-day international games have been rescheduled for Friday and Sunday — also in Rawalpindi.
In 2009, a terror attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team’s bus in Lahore led to the suspension of international sport in Pakistan. Foreign cricket teams gradually started returning for tours of Pakistan in 2015.
New Zealand also abandoned a tour to Pakistan hours before a scheduled series-opening game at Rawalpindi in November 2021, citing undisclosed security concerns.
Tri-Series also in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi will also host all the seven games of an upcoming Twenty20 tri-series. The original schedule featured five matches in Lahore, including the Nov. 29 final.
Zimbabwe, which arrived early Thursday, is joining Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the tournament which serves as preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup.
The PCB has delayed the tri-series tournament by a day after it rescheduled the ODIs against Sri Lanka. The tri-series now begins Nov. 18 with a game between Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Rizwan Ali, The Associated Press
