Sri Lankan Players Refuse to Stay in Pakistan After Bomb Blast in Rawalpindi
Sri Lankan players express security concerns in Pakistan after a deadly Islamabad blast, recalling the horrors of the 2009 Lahore attack as SLC decides on continuing the ODI series.
Tension has gripped the Sri Lankan cricket camp in Pakistan after a deadly bomb blast in Islamabad left at least 12 people dead earlier this week.
The explosion occurred just a few kilometres from Rawalpindi, where Sri Lanka are currently playing a three-match ODI series against Pakistan.
According to reports, several Sri Lankan players have voiced safety concerns and urged the board to reconsider continuing the series.
The players, still haunted by memories of the 2009 Lahore attack, are reportedly uncomfortable staying in Pakistan after the recent incident.
However, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials are said to be in constant touch with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and local authorities, who have assured them of strict and enhanced security for the remaining matches. For now, the board wants the series to go on as scheduled.
Pakistan won the opening ODI in Rawalpindi by six runs on Tuesday. The second game is set to be played at the same venue on Thursday, followed by the third ODI before the teams move into a T20I tri-series featuring Zimbabwe.
The situation has revived old fears for the Sri Lankan players, who still carry painful memories of the 2009 terror attack on their team bus in Lahore, an incident that injured multiple players and forced Pakistan into international isolation for nearly a decade.
Ironically, it was Sri Lanka who helped bring international cricket back to Pakistan in 2019, when they became the first major team to tour the country again. Now, sixteen years later, the same team once again finds itself in a moment of fear and uncertainty.
