Sri Lanka support staff willing to tour Pakistan

The support staff of the visiting Sri Lanka team has expressed their willingness to travel to Pakistan for the third T20I match in Lahore. Earlier, 40 cricketers including the current squad playing ODI series in the United Arab Emirates had written a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) in which they had refused to travel Lahore citing threat to their life. However, the stance of some players seems to have softened now after the support staff has agreed to do so.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is trying hard to bring back international cricket to the country and they also hosted World XI for a series of three T20Is in Lahore last month. After the series against the island nation, West Indies is also set to visit the country to play the shortest format of the game. Though the match is in jeopardy as of now and both the cricket boards are trying hard to convince players by assuring complete safety to them.

Mickey Arthur spoke to the support staff

The coach of the Pakistan team Mickey Arthur spoke to the support staff of the Sri Lankan team which includes, Hashan Thilakaratne (batting coach), Rumesh Ratnayake (bowling coach), Asanka Gurusinha (manager) and Nic Pothas (head coach) and then they agreed to tour Lahore according to an SLC official as mentioned by Cricbuzz. They have been asked to individually write to Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva stating their willingness to tour. “The players have a few concerns and we will address them,” he said.

International Cricket Council (ICC) is already satisfied with the security arrangements for the match at Gaddafi Stadium and will send a match referee and an anti-corruption official. The Pakistan Cricket Board has assured the team security similar to that of Heads of State. SLC has cleared that they understood the players’ concern but will conduct their own security assessment. Earlier, Thilanga Sumathipala had mentioned that the players willing to tour Pakistan will only be picked for the T20I series.