"Not Allowed To Go Out": Sri Lanka Captain On Pakistan's Security Protocols After Bomb Blast

Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan looked set to be nearing a premature end after a bomb blast in the country's capital, Islamabad, left the touring batters worried. Some visiting players even said that they wanted to return home, as continuation of cricket in the country poses a serious security risk. Though the situation was salvaged immediately and the series continued, it was not before Pakistan's military had to be involved. Visuals of the extent to which the Pakistan military went to protect the Sri Lankan cricket team amazed fans on social media. Now, Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka has opened up on the entire episode.

Shanaka, speaking after the conclusion of the tri-series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, said that his teammates had to follow extremely strict protocols after the decision to continue with the tour was taken.

"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. But Shanaka had no complaints; in fact, he thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board for the security his team was given.

"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.

Sri Lanka failed to put up a fight against Pakistan in the tri-series final. Shanaka admitted that his team's batting against spin bowling is an issue.

"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.

Shanaka is hopeful of putting up a better show against Pakistan in future assignments. He is also open to returning to the country for another series in the future. "We take this as learning. Hopefully, we'll correct these issues," he said. "I'm very confident about that... Hopefully, in the future, I'll get the chance to come to Pakistan again and play good cricket."

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team Sri Lanka Cricket Team Dasun Shanaka Cricket