Sri Lanka Cricket Tells Players to Stay in Pakistan Despite Safety Concerns

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: Sri Lanka Cricket Tells Players to Stay in Pakistan Despite Safety Concerns

Sri Lanka's governing committee instructs the national team to continue the tour in Pakistan despite several players wanting to leave in the middle of the tour.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has asked its national team to continue their tour of Pakistan, even though some players and staff wanted to return home after a deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad. The attack, which happened outside a court on Tuesday, killed 12 people and injured 27, raising serious safety concerns among the touring party.

In a statement released on Wednesday (November 12), SLC confirmed that several members of the team had requested to leave Pakistan. However, the board said it had spoken to the players and assured them that their safety was being taken seriously, with help from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and local authorities.

Despite these concerns, SLC has instructed all players, coaches, and support staff to stay and complete the tour as planned. The board also warned that if anyone chooses to leave against this directive, replacements will be sent to keep the series going. Those who leave may face a formal review after the tour to assess their actions.

The first ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka went ahead in Rawalpindi, with Pakistan winning by six runs. The next two matches are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday at the same venue. A T20I tri-series involving Zimbabwe is also set to begin on November 17 and run until November 29.

This situation has brought back memories of the 2009 Lahore attack, when gunmen targeted the Sri Lankan team bus, injuring several players and forcing international cricket out of Pakistan for nearly a decade.

SLC said it is working closely with the PCB and government officials to make sure all safety measures are in place. But the decision to push forward with the tour, despite players’ concerns, has sparked debate about balancing player welfare with cricket commitments.