SL to go ahead with Pakistan tour despite terror fears

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's cricket board on Thursday said it will go ahead with its tour of Pakistan despite fears that players could be the targets of terror attacks during the sixmatch visit.

Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Mohan de Silva said they received the all-clear from the defence ministry to leave for Pakistan on Tuesday after establishing that there was no threat to the national team.

Sri Lanka Cricket added in a statement that the governing body was assured the Pakistan army would coordinate security set at a level usually reserved for a head of state.

"Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that the forthcoming tour of Pakistan will go ahead as planned, following assurances given by the government of Pakistan that it will provide maximum security," the statement said. De Silva added that he and "our office bearers will also be accompanying the team". Reports last week of a possible terror attack were referred to the defence ministry for investigation.

The Sri Lanka team was the target of an attack during a Test match in Pakistan's Lahore in March 2009, with six players injured when gunmen attacked their bus. Six Pakistan policemen and two civilians were killed. Since the attack, a majority of international teams have refused to tour the South Asian country. Sri Lanka's first match in Lahore after that was one T20 game against Pakistan in October 2017. De Silva visited Pakistan last month along with a security consultant to check out the arrangements made by the hosts.