Zimbabwe Abandon Tour to Pakistan Citing Security Reasons

Zimbabwe cricket authorities on Thursday abandoned a planned tour to Pakistan, citing poor security after recent militant violence that has revived fears after a deadly attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009.

The tour would have been the first by a Test-playing nation since militants attacked the Sri Lankan bus in Lahore five years ago, killing six Pakistani policemen and two civilians and injuring six Sri Lankan players.

Pakistan has been desperate to regain its status as an international cricket venue, but security concerns rose further this week when gunmen attacked a passenger bus and killed at least 43 people in the southern city of Karachi.

"The decision not to tour at this time has been taken after considering the advice from the country's supreme sports regulatory authority, the Sports and Recreational Commission (SRC)," Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) said in a statement.

"We have consulted on the security situation in Pakistan... and have been advised that it would not be safe for the team to travel to Pakistan," Charles Nhemachena, the SRC director general wrote to the cricket union Thursday.

The decision came after an advance team visited Pakistan last week and expressed confidence that the tour would go ahead.

Zimbabwe this week announced its 16-man squad, but a private daily paper on Thursday said the team should not be put in danger.

"One thing is very clear; Pakistan is not a safe destination to travel to," the Daily News said.

"Pakistan is on fire at the moment."