Eight Sri Lankan cricketers, who are in Pakistan for an ongoing ODI series, have expressed safety concerns after Islamabad was rocked by a deadly bomb explosion and have requested their board to cancel the tour, according to NDTV sources. This update comes on the eve of the second ODI of the three-match series, putting the next match in Rawalpindi in doubt. The sources further stated that replacements are being flown in by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board in a bid to continue the series. Earlier, Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six runs in the opening ODI in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, a game that went ahead despite the suicide attack in the twin city of Islamabad.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said security around the visiting team had been increased following the attack.
The remaining matches are scheduled to take place on Thursday and Saturday, also in Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, a PTI report said that the development means the second ODI will not happen. It added that the players expressed the desire to return home due to the proximity of Rawalpindi, where the ODIs are being played, to Islamabad.
Notably, a powerful explosion ripped through a judicial complex in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Tuesday, killing 12 and injuring 27. Local media reported it was a suicide attack.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters the suicide bombing occurred at 12:39 p.m. local time. The bomber tried to enter the court building on foot but detonated the device outside, close to a police vehicle, after waiting there for 10 to 15 minutes, Naqvi told reporters at the site.
It was a car bomb, Pakistani officials told reporters. The blast, heard kilometres away, also damaged several vehicles outside the court. The attack happened at a time when the area was typically crowded with hundreds of visitors attending hearings.
(With Agency Inputs)