ISLAMABAD: Thank you, Sri Lanka! Thank you for saving international cricket in Pakistan. By not abandoning a cricket tour of Pakistan, the Sri Lankan government, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and, not least, players, have made an international-cricket-saving decision. Had they ended the tour, it would have long-term ramifications for Pakistan cricket. International cricket in Pakistan would have been pushed for another few years.
Pakistanis can’t thank Sri Lanka enough. The Islanders, always a friend of Pakistan, have supported Pakistan through thick and thin. It’s a friendship that goes beyond the boundaries of cricket. Pakistan’s soldiers have played a key role in Sri Lanka’s years-long fight to eradicate the Tamil Tigers. No weather, no hardship, no calamity has had any effect on this friendship.
The recent decision will go a long way in strengthening the ties between the two countries, which are at the forefront of establishing peace and prosperity in the region. The enemies of Pakistan would have exploited a Sri Lanka pull out at the end. They would have started a negative campaign to end international cricket in our country. Pakistan has to host Australia in late January next year. Australia is one country that has always been cautious about touring Pakistan. Even before 9-11 and the ensuing safety fears in and around Pakistan, Australia had stayed away from touring Pakistan. It was only in 2022 that Pat Cummins visited Pakistan after a yawning gap of 24 years.
A Sri Lankan pull out would have sealed the fate of the Australian team tour. This situation is saved courtesy of Sri Lanka. No praise is enough for the efforts and quick action from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi. When it came to pass that eight Sri Lankan players had requested their cricket board to return home after the first ODI, citing security fears, Naqvi came into action. The players may have been frightened after a suicide bomb blast in Islamabad, a few miles from the stadium where they played the first ODI on the day of the calamity. Twelve people were killed and several were injured, but despite the incident, the match went without any problem.
But the next morning, all hell broke loose. Fondly called Mohsin Speed for his prompt action and understanding of the situation, the cricket chief came into action. He dashed to the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad. The High Commissions are the real source from where countries take real information on security and safety. Naqvi impressed on the HC that no stone will be unturned to keep the players safe and that the blast in Islamabad was just a one-off incident. The HC was satisfied, but Naqvi took more steps. He kept in continuous contact with the SLC officials, their president, Shami Silva, and CEO Ashley de Silva. If that was not enough, Naqvi visited the team hotel and assured the players that he would himself supervise the security arrangements.
To their credit, the SLC also conveyed to the players in a soft manner that anyone wanting to return will not be stopped, but there will be a review of their actions once the tour ends. There were murmurs that SLC, in a veiled manner, told the players that they may face a two-year ban on returning from the tour.
The actions bore fruit. Late in the night, the SLC issued a release saying that all is well and that the tour will go ahead with a day’s delay to the third ODI. The SLC decision was widely appreciated as a “win for cricket” and “friendship NOT OUT.”
There is a commonality in this cricket friendship. Sri Lanka had also gone through the same situation. The civil war in the 1980s and 1990s had affected their cricket. New Zealand abandoned a tour to the Island in 1987 after a bomb blast. Several New Zealand players left the tour amidst a security situation in 1993, although the tour went ahead with replacement players. The Australian and the West Indies teams refused to tour Sri Lanka for their World Cup 1996 matches, citing security fears. Those were testing times for Sri Lanka, but Pakistan supported them to no end.
Consequently, Pakistan was at the receiving end in March 2009 when the visiting Sri Lanka team bus was attacked in Lahore. Seven Sri Lankan players were injured, and the tour ended in the aftermath. The repercussions on Pakistan cricket were severe. No foreign team was willing to tour the terrorist’s hit country which was forced to play its home series on the neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates. Sri Lanka supported Pakistan to the hilt. They toured Pakistan in 2017 and became the first country to play a Test in 2010.
All said and done, Sri Lanka deserves a salute. They have stood by their friendly country in a tense situation. Cricket has always been a great healer, a great leveler. With the Sri Lanka team staying on, cricket will continue to flourish.
