To the delight of cricket enthusiasts the Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) announced on Thursday that its team's tour of Pakistan will go ahead as planned, following assurances by the Government of Pakistan that it would provide maximum security. It may be recalled Pakistan cricket suffered a huge setback in March 2009, when the visiting Sri Lankan team came under a terrorist attack on their way to play three of the second Test at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. Although the players remained safe - thanks to their bus drivers' presence of mind - six policemen and two civilians were killed. That put paid to Pakistan's efforts to host international teams until 2015, when a Zimbabwean squad came for a quick series of two T20s and three ODIs. A month later, Sri Lankans also came, but only for the final game of a three T-20 matches. Close in their heels arrived a World X1 for a three- match T20 series. Considering that the World XI included five South African players, perhaps, PCB could have succeeded in soon scheduling a short T-20 series with South Africa, inspiring others to follow. But what ensued was a long pause.
Pakistan amply demonstrated it could safely host such events when 2018 it moved the final match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from the UAE to the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore, and the next year both the semi-finals and finals were held in Karachi's National Stadium. Still, 10 senior Sri Lankan players, including Test and ODI skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, T20 captain Lasith Malinga, former captains Angelo Mathews and Denish Chandimal, have refused to participate in the upcoming series. Thisara Perera, who played in Pakistan as part of the World XI as well as the Quetta Gladiators squad in the PSL 2018 final in Lahore, has also opted out. Some of these men may have genuine security concerns, like Niroshan Dickwella who stayed out of the 2018 PSL in Lahore citing security reason. An important reason, however, is the money they get for playing in international leagues. Perera, from instance, earns up to $75000 for a three-match international league series as against $2000-3000 per game playing for the national side. The SLC has rightly taken a tough stand against these players, disallowing them from participating in the Caribbean Premier League.
Starting on September 27 the visitors will play three ODIs and three T20s in Karachi and Lahore led by Lahiru Thirimanne and Dasun Shanaka, respectively, regaling fans with a good game of cricket. The absence of star players will surely be missed. But the event is important in itself, as it would encourage other teams to come. The Bangladesh team is already secluded to arrive in January 2020. Hopefully, this is the start of the return of international cricket in a big way.