A senior Pakistan board official has urged the international cricket community not to isolate the country following yesterday’s militant attack on the Sri Lankan team that left six players wounded and five police dead.
“I will only say what happened today is a great tragedy,” Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director of human resources Wasim Bari told reporters. “But at a time when terrorist attacks are taking place all over the world, Pakistan cricket should not be abandoned or isolated.”
The former test captain said he was greatly encouraged by statements coming out of Sri Lanka that they did not regret visiting Pakistan for the test series and urged for support rather than rejection.
“It is very easy now to just say, ‘Lets stop going to Pakistan,’” he said. “But we need the support of the international cricket community. We can still hold international matches. Terrorists have tried to hit cricket targets in other countries as well.”
‘DISMAY AND REGRET’
The International Cricket Council (ICC) expressed dismay and sadness at the attack.
“We note with dismay and regret the events of this morning in Lahore and we condemn this attack without reservation,” ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. “It is a source of great sadness that there have been a number of fatalities in this attack and it is also very upsetting for the wider cricket family that some of the Sri Lanka players and one match official have been injured in this attack. At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the injured people and also the families of those who have died.”
Former Pakistani Test cricketers said the attack damaged any chances of the country hosting international cricket in the short term and threatens its position as co-host of the 2011 World Cup.
“I don’t see the International Cricket Council now allowing the World Cup matches in Pakistan. It’s gone,” retired paceman Waqar Younis said. “It’s a big tragedy, something like this should have never happened.”
Javed Miandad, a former national team captain and coach, said: “It is going to be very difficult for us to now convince teams that they can play the World Cup in Pakistan safely.”
Retired fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz said the future of cricket in Pakistan was bleak.
“No team will even think to come to play in Pakistan after this attack and injuries to their cricketers,” he said. “I am also fearing that other countries will be reluctant to even invite Pakistan for home series in fear that may open door for such terrorism to come to their country.”
Sri Lanka accepted a late invitation for a two-test series after Australia and India postponed tours because of security concerns. That allowed Pakistan to host its first test matches in 14 months and was a payback in some way for Pakistan’s support in 1996 when Australia and other countries had concern about traveling to Sri Lanka when the World Cup was last held in Asia.
The Champions Trophy, a competition featuring cricket’s top eight teams scheduled for last September, was also postponed and moved from Pakistan after several countries expressed deep concerns about security.
“In a situation when no cricket team was ready to come to Pakistan, the Sri Lanka team was promised foolproof security of VVIP level and that promise was not kept,” Nawaz said. “This a security lapse and taking this responsibility governor of Punjab should resign.”
Sports minister Pir Aftab Shah Jilani condemned the attack, saying the Sri Lankan team had come to Pakistan to help save its cricket after a year in the international wilderness.
“We are all in pain and the whole nation is in pain,” Jilani said. “This was a crisis in cricket in Pakistan, and they came to rescue and we are all sorry for that.”
DISBELIEF
Former Sri Lanka coach Trevor Penney never believed there’d be a terror attack on a cricket team in Pakistan because the people were so passionate about the sport.
Penney, who was assistant to former Australian Test player Tom Moody in the Sri Lanka coaching ranks from 2005 to 2007, said Pakistan cricket would never be the same.
“In Asia we’ve always felt that that wouldn’t happen,” Penney said in Perth, Australia. “We thought they would never target cricketers because even if they were terrorists they still loved their cricket.”
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