Sri Lanka cricket team on Tuesday (September 24) left for Pakistan for the upcoming limited-overs series despite the reports of the possible militant attack on the Islanders during the visit.
The depleted Lanka squad has expressed confidence in security promises that would be given by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in Pakistan during the limited-overs series in Lahore and Karachi.
They flew to Pakistan only after Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) received green signal from the defense ministry last week after determining that there was no threat for the national side.
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Before embarking on Pakistan tour, the Lankan players were blessed by saffron-robed Buddhist monks at SLC’s headquarters in Colombo on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the SLC has confirmed the team’s departure as they shared few pictures of their touring squad on its official media handle with a caption: “Sri Lanka National team left SLC headquarters this morning to embark on their tour to Pakistan.”
Since the Sri Lanka team were attacked in Lahore in 2009, top international teams have refused to visit the South Asian country, leaving PCB to shift nearly all their "home" matches to the UAE.
Citing security concerns, ten senior Lankan players have opted out of the Pakistan tour comprising three one-day internationals and as many as T20 internationals starting from 27 September.
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However, Sri Lanka’s T20I skipper Dasun Shanaka was not worried about the fact that he is returning to Pakistan having already visited the country for a T20I in Lahore in October 2017 for the first time since the 2009 attack, which left six players injured from his team.
Shanaka told reporters, “I have been there before. I am satisfied with the security arranged for us and I am happy to lead my team to Pakistan. We hope to give a good fight to our very strong hosts.”
On the other hand, ODI skipper Lahiru Thirimanne has also no concerns since the PCB has been given assurances of a very high degree of protection in Pakistan.
Here are complete fixtures:
Three ODIs: September 27, 29, October 2 all in Karachi
Three T20Is: October 5, 7, 9 all in Lahore
(With AFP Inputs)
