New Delhi:
Sri Lanka's tour to Pakistan was under a cloud after reports emerged of a possible terror attack against the team. International teams had not toured Pakistan for six years following the terror attack against the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 1, 2009. However, after a thorough security assessment, the tour was given the green signal and Sri Lanka arrived in Pakistan for three ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals. However, citing the security situation, 10 members of the Sri Lanka side, including prominent players like Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga refused to tour the country due to security fears.
Pakistan won the three-match ODI series 2-0 but were whitewashed in the three-match Twenty20 International series for the first time since 2015. The tour passed off without a hitch but on return, the Sri Lanka Cricket chief Shammi Silva raised some eyebrows when he said the strict security was stifling for the team. This has not gone down well with the Pakistan Cricket Board who have conveyed their displeasure to Sri Lanka's top bosses.
"The PCB is very disappointed and hurt over such comments as presidential level security was provided to the visiting team on the insistence of their board. We wanted to make their stay as comfortable as possible," a source within the PCB said. The source also added that the PCB has reminded Lankan board officials that the players were given the option of going out to play golf and do some shopping while they were also entertained at official dinners and functions. Although some strong security measures were in place for the visiting players but remarks such as they were "fed-up" after being confined to their hotel were not fair.
Pakistan are aiming to get international cricket back to the country after playing close to a decade in the UAE following the terror attacks in Lahore in March 2009. With improving security, Pakistan are aiming to get Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to play their Tests in the country as part of the ICC World Test Championship. Pakistan are also trying to play the full edition of the Super League Twenty20 tournament in the country after it successfully hosted some league games and the knock-outs in the last two editions.
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Pakistan will tour Australia for two Tests starting in November as they make their debut in the World Test Championships while Sri Lanka's Test fixtures in this cycle of the championship are not yet known.
