total 16 Sri Lanka After the suicide bombing incident in Islamabad, the players have decided to leave the Pakistan tour midway. This is a major embarrassment for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister of Pakistan.
It is noteworthy that the suicide bomb blast took place in Rawalpindi, about 17 km away from the stadium where Pakistan and Sri Lanka were to play the first ODI match on Monday. Despite the attack, the match continued and Pakistan won the first game by 6 runs.
Mohsin Naqvi himself went to console Sri Lanka
According to Pakistani media reports, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi personally met the Lankan players and team management after the first ODI and assured full security for the entire touring contingent.
It is noteworthy that after the return of international cricket in the country after a long gap of a decade, cricket teams in Pakistan get presidential level security. Incidentally, in 2009, Sri Lanka was the last team to tour Pakistan before the international cricket lockdown in the country.
This happened when there was a terrorist attack on the Lankan team and the pictures of Sri Lankan players being airlifted from the stadium are something cricket fans can never forget. Due to this, international cricket completely stopped in Pakistan.
Even the Pakistan Super League, Pakistan’s official T20 franchise league tournament, had to be launched in the UAE in 2016 as the UAE had become the base for Pakistan’s international cricket affairs since the 2009 event.
Islamabad shaken by suicide bomb blast
A major suicide attack took place near the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Islamabad, where both the teams were to play the first ODI of the 3-match series. Despite the attack, the match continued and ended on time.
However, after the match, nervousness spread among the Sri Lankan team as they might have been reminded of the 2009 tour. Before the second ODI on Thursday, the practice session of both Pakistan and Lanka teams was cancelled.
Then news started coming that in view of the dire situation in Pakistan, the Lankan players were not willing to continue the tour. As soon as the news broke, PCB officials and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials started talking and consoling the players.
All efforts were made by both the boards to ensure the smooth continuation of the tour. However, most of the Lankan sports contingent could not be convinced and decided to return back to the country.
SLC will arrange replacement team
It has emerged that the Lanka Cricket Board will now arrange for a separate team to fly to Pakistan and complete the remaining part of the tour. However, this will not be an easy task for the board, as the returning players will definitely inform other players about the deteriorating situation.
Pakistan had won the first ODI of the 3-match series played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium by 6 runs. Salman Ali Aga was awarded the Man of the Match award for his all-round contribution to the game.
Apart from him, Haris Rauf gave his best performance by taking 4 wickets. Wanindu Hasaranga fought hard for the visiting Sri Lankan team, first with the ball and then with the bat.
However, his team could not cross the finishing line and would prefer to win the remaining games to clinch the series. Now, this cancellation is again casting a dark shadow over international cricket in Pakistan.
Both the IPL and PSL had to be halted midway following the violent military clash between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack in India earlier this year. After this, Pakistan had to face defeat at the hands of India in the Asia Cup 2025 including the final.
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi was left embarrassed by the Indian team as they refused to accept the trophy from them after winning the Asia Cup 2025. This came from the top leadership of the team with the full support of the BCCI.
An angry Mohsin Naqvi took the trophy with himself and the winning Indian team has not yet received its trophy from the ACC President. over there
