Sri Lanka will play Pakistan in Lahore only after security assessments

Courtesy: PTI

Colombo: Sri Lanka Cricket will send its team to Pakistan for a Twenty20 International match next month only after more security assessments.

Cricket board chief executive Ashley de Silva said today that officials will continue to monitor security in Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates, where two Test matches, five One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals are scheduled to be played against Pakistan at neutral venues.

The third and final Twenty20 is scheduled for Lahore, Pakistan, where Sri Lanka's team bus came under a terrorist attack in 2009. The attack killed some Pakistani security officials and wounded two Sri Lankan players.

An official will be sent to Lahore two weeks before the scheduled Oct. 29 match before making a final call, de Silva said.

Sri Lanka player Dinesh Chandimal said touring Pakistan will be a collective decision by the players and it will happen only after more discussions. He said Sri Lanka teammate Thisara Perera, who was part of a World XI team that played in Pakistan this month, has expressed satisfaction on the security arrangements.

No international cricket team has toured Pakistan since 2009, except a short limited-overs tour by Zimbabwe in 2015.

Pakistan hosted Twenty20 matches against a World XI in a bid to revive international cricket at home.

Sri Lanka will open the tour of UAE with a Test match next Thursday.