Sri Lankan Cricket Board Threatens Action After Several Team Members Seek Permission To Return Home Post Islamabad Blast

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Timeline: In a staggering development, several members of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team, touring Pakistan for a three-match ODI series against the home team and a tri-nation series that includes Zimbabwe, have requested their Cricket board to leave the country at the earliest, citing safety concerns.

Notably, Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad experienced a suicide bombing that claimed the lives of at least 12 individuals along with injuries to 27 others near the district and session courts in the G-11 area of the capital, as per a report from local media.

The first match of the series ended in a loss by six runs for the visitors as they failed to chase a target of 300 runs in Rawalpindi last Thursday, with the second ODI of the three-match series scheduled for this Thursday. The tri-nation series, played in the T20I format, is set to commence on November 17.

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A statement from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said, "Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was informed by the team management this morning that several members of the national team currently touring Pakistan have requested to return home, citing safety concerns."

As per the statement, after this development, "SLC immediately engaged with the players and assured them that all such concerns are being duly addressed in close coordination with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of the touring party."

SLC made it clear if any player or member of the touring party decides to return back home even when the series is on as per directive issued by SLC, the board will "will immediately send replacements to ensure that the tour continues without interruption."

"If any player, players, or member of the support staff return despite SLC's directives, a formal review will be conducted to assess their actions, and an appropriate decision will be made upon the conclusion of the review," the statement concluded.

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If players leave, it would be another major setback to this tour after Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had pulled out of the tri-nation series due to airstrikes in Paktika which killed three up-and-coming local players, which ACB described as a "cowardly act carried out by the Pakistani regime."

Zimbabwe was eventually roped in as a replacement to the tri-nation series.

Inputs from ANI