Sri Lanka to play T20 international match against Pakistan in Lahore

Sri Lankan team will travel to Lahore for the final T20 international against Pakistan on October 29, despite top players expressing their reservations on travelling to the country, where the national team was attacked by terrorists in 2009.

A letter has been signed by 40 Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) contracted players, including most in the current squad, to president Thilanga Sumathipala, expressing unwillingness to travel to Pakistan, which has been a hotbed of terrorist attacks.

The players have said they remain uncomfortable about travelling to Lahore for the last match of the ongoing series between the two countries in the UAE.

The SLC said that an Executive Committee meeting was held today and it was unanimously decided to go ahead with tour.

The SLC had obtained security clearance from the ICC and the PCB for the game to be held in Lahore.

“SLC have over the past two months conducted a thorough evaluation with the assistance of the government of Sri Lanka, the government of Pakistan, the PCB and independent security experts”, SLC release said.

Accordingly the 15 member squad will be announced on October 20.

The third T20 international is the final match of the current tour of Pakistan in UAE and the SLC administration had wanted to play at Lahore’s Gaddaffi Stadium.

That Sri Lanka will tour for the match was confirmed earlier in the day by PCB Chief, Najam Sethi.

Sethi had said that the visit by Sri Lankan team to Lahore for the lone match was planned and agreed upon in a meeting in which officials of the two boards and ICC were present.

“We are expecting to host the Sri Lankan team after the top security provided to the World eleven side which were appreciated PCB Chairman was asked that will Sri at the recent ICC meetings in Auckland,” he had said, earlier in the day.

Sethi said PCB’s endeavour was to keep on improving the security arrangements based on regular feedback from ICC and FICA approved security experts.