PCB to not shift Sri Lanka series to neutral venue despite security concerns

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was eagerly waiting to host the twin series against Sri Lanka at home starting later this month but a possible terror threat has put its plans in jeopardy. Earlier, the tour lost its shine after 10 players of the visiting team pulled out citing security reasons even after the assurance from their own board.

The tour seemed to be on track to kick off on September 27 with a three-game ODI series. But on Wednesday, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) released a statement stating that it had received “reliable information of a possible terrorist threat” against the national squad and had sought the assistance of the Sri Lankan government to conduct a “reassessment of the security situation”. The decision was taken after a warning received from the Prime Minister’s office, as per the statement.

However, even as the Sri Lankan side has expressed concerns over the security, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has clarified that it will not shift the series to a neutral venue. The two-Test series scheduled to be played between the two nations later this year will be held in the UAE where Pakistan have been playing their home matches since losing the right to host them.

PCB thinks moving out series will hurt Pakistan as host

According to a report in cricketpakistan.com.pak, the PCB is keeping a close watch on the situation but there is no question of shifting the series to a neutral venue. The report said the PCB thinks that its plans about bringing international cricket back to Pakistan will be in jeopardy if the upcoming series is moved out.

Pakistan found themselves out of favour as an international host after the visiting Sri Lankan national team found itself facing a terror attack in Lahore in 2009 that saw the cricketers getting airlifted to safety from the stadium. No major team has toured the country since then and it even lost the right to co-host the 2011 World Cup which was played in the sub-continent. Sri Lanka, however, played a T20I in Pakistan in 2017.

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