Media365
The Sri Lankan cricket team’s tour of Pakistan faced uncertainty following a bomb blast in Islamabad. Several players expressed concerns about their safety and considered returning home due to security risks.The situation was resolved with the involvement of Pakistan’s military forces. Social media was flooded with images showing the extensive security measures implemented to protect the Sri Lankan cricket team.Sri Lanka’s captain Dasun Shanaka addressed the security situation after the conclusion of the tri-series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe.“We enjoyed this tournament as a group. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to go out much,” he said after the tri-series final on Saturday, referring to restrictions put on the team following a bomb blast.Shanaka expressed gratitude towards the Pakistan Cricket Board for ensuring their safety during the tour.“Credit to the security forces; they supported us in every situation. It’s not easy to handle all this, to organise everything. I must thank PCB for ensuring our safety,” he added.The Sri Lankan team struggled to perform well against Pakistan in the tri-series final. Shanaka acknowledged their batting challenges, particularly against spin bowling.“We must realise when to take chances against spin – especially left-handers getting out to off-spinners and right-handers to left-arm spin. Those were avoidable,” he said.Despite the security concerns and performance issues, Shanaka maintained a positive outlook for future cricket engagements with Pakistan.“We take this as learning. Hopefully, we’ll correct these issues,” he said.The Sri Lankan captain expressed his willingness to return to Pakistan for future cricket series, adding, “I’m very confident about that… Hopefully, in the future, I’ll get the chance to come to Pakistan again and play good cricket.”
