At least eight Sri Lankan cricketers were said to have expressed fears for their safety and were on the verge of abandoning the Pakistan tri-series tournament and return home after a suicide bombing rocked Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Tuesday. The attack in the Pakistan capital killed 12 and wounded 27 outside a district court building. However, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board said in a statement that it had “instructed all players, support staff, and team management to continue with the tour as scheduled.” It also issued a veiled threat of a “formal review” in case any players or staff member ignored its directive and abandoned the tour.
The tri-series tournament features Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are currently playing a three-match ODI series, which will be a precursor to the T20I tri-series also involving Zimbabwe. In the first One-Day International on Tuesday, which went on in Rawalpindi despite the suicide attack in the city of Islamabad, Pakistan Cricket Team had defeated Sri Lanka by six runs. The remaining matches of the tour are scheduled to take place on Thursday and Saturday. The remaining two ODI games were also scheduled to be held in Rawalpindi.
According to French news agency AFP, the second ODI against Pakistan tomorrow was in doubt, but substitute players will be sent to continue the tri-nation series.
However, the statement by SLC makes it apparent that the second ODI will go ahead as scheduled.
“Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was informed by the team management this morning that several members of the national team currently touring Pakistan have requested to return home, citing safety concerns. 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. In this context, SLC has instructed all players, support staff, and team management to continue with the tour as scheduled,” the statement said.
The Sri Lankan board also ended the statement with the threat of a formal review against players who ignore its directive to continue with the tour.
The statement added: “Should any player or member of the touring party decide to return to Sri Lanka despite the directive issued by SLC to continue with the tour, Sri Lanka Cricket will immediately send replacements to ensure that the tour continues without interruption. 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.”
On its part, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had told international media agencies that security for the visiting teams had been increased after the Islamabad terror attack.
A report in The Guardian noted that the bomber made several attempts to get inside the buildings before detonating a device next to a police car.
It must be noted that the Sri Lankan cricket team had come under a terror attack back in March 2009 when gunmen opened fire on their team bus as it was taking them to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for a Test match. The Sri Lankan team had to be evacuated from Pakistan after that terror attack which left six Sri Lankan players wounded.
In the aftermath of the that terror attack, international teams had stayed away from Pakistan for nearly a decade.
Recalling the day of attack in 2009, Muhammad Khaleel, the man who was driving the bus on that fateful day, had once shared the ordeal with The Indian Express. When the attackers opened fire, he thought it was celebratory fireworks. But soon he saw, in the mirror, that the Sri Lankan players had dived to either side of the aisle.
He said he then saw a man on the street shoot at the bus. “Kalashinikov tha — one went through the glass, one flew by, and I heard the players say, ‘Go, go, go’. It jolted me and I decided to drive ahead. To rush ahead an eight-cylinder bus on second gear wasn’t easy but I knew I had to escape the scene. They were 10-15 of them, I think, and grouped in twos.”
Then came a hand-grenade that dipped in front of the bus and rolled to the other side — and didn’t explode. “When I saw that grenade, I thought I should jump out and run but mere mulk key mehmaan hain yeh Sri Lankans — How could I leave them? And, good, I didn’t jump out as I guess I would have been killed by a bullet anyway (“these Sri Lankans are guests of my country”).”
The escort gave him cover, he said, and he rammed ahead, taking the Sri Lankan team to safety.
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