Sri Lanka Cricket awaiting defence ministry’s clearance to go ahead with the Pakistan tour

Sri Lanka Cricket has asked the government to reassess the security situation and make a final decision.

10 Sri Lankan players have opted out of the tour citing security concerns | Getty

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is hopeful of going ahead with its tour of Pakistan but the board officials are still waiting for the final clearance from the country’s defence ministry.

Speaking to AFP, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Mohan de Silva said that he was pleased with the security arrangements of Pakistan. However, the reports of a possible terror attack emerged last week had been referred to the defence ministry for investigation.

During the 2009 Pakistan tour, Sri Lanka’s team bus was attacked by terrorists which left eight people dead and several others injured. Since that attack, majority of international teams have refused to travel to Pakistan.

"Earlier last month I visited Pakistan along with our security consultant and we were satisfied with the arrangements. They have promised security reserved for a head of state," De Silva told AFP.

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Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan comprised of three ODIs and as many T20Is. The limited-overs series, due to start on September 27, was put on hold last week after Sri Lankan Prime Minister's office warned the board that it had unspecified information about a possible attack against its players.

Despite the threat, Sri Lanka Cricket did not abandon the tour and instead asked the government to reassess the security situation and make a final decision.

Earlier, 10 prominent island cricketers including Dimuth Karunaratne, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera withdrew their names from the Pakistan tour citing security reasons. Sri Lanka has already announced two squads for the three ODIs and three T20Is.

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 18 Sep, 2019

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