Players worried after attacks but Quaid-e-Azam Trophy to go on

Karachi:

The cricketers featuring in the ongoing domestic tournament are jittery due to a spate of suicide bomb attacks in the country but Pakistan Cricket Board has told them to focus on the job.

The fifth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy begins on Tuesday with three matches scheduled in Islamabad and one in Rawalpindi, where a suicide bomber on Monday blew himself up, killing 34 people.

Sultan Rana who heads the Pakistan cricket Board domestic division said that players were told that tournament will continue as scheduled.

"We have told the players to focus on the game and we will try to do our best in terms of arrangements. We have also advised them to take precautionary measures while staying at team hotels," Rana said.

"The tournament will go on. We have already shifted the Quaid Trophy matches that were supposed to be held in Peshawar and Baluchistan because of the security situation," he added.

Rana also said he spoke to Misbah-ul-Haq and some other players after they wanted to know the status regarding the matches in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Hasan Raza, who plays for Habib bank, admitted that situation was tense.

"Yes we are facing problems because the families of some of our players were reluctant to allow them to travel to Pindi and Islamabad because of the security situation," he said.

The security situation in Pakistan has already led to the postponement of the National Games that were to be held in Peshawar this month and a couple of other tennis tournaments in Islamabad.

Since the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in march, foreign teams have avoided touring Pakistan with the Pakistan team being forced to play its home series against Australia and New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.