Sri Lanka Cricket says team ready to tour Pak if 'decent' security guaranteed

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has said that the team is willing to tour Pakistan in the near future if 'decent' security arrangements are guaranteed, following the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009, which stripped Pakistan of its right to host international matches.

The interim chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Najam Sethi and the Secretary of SLC, Nishantha Ranatunga are in the UAE to witness the ongoing series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

According to The Dawn, although the attack left permanent scars on some of the players, however, SLC's media manager Rajith Fernando said that Sri Lanka could tour Pakistan again if decent security arrangements are guaranteed, adding that insurgency is not new to them as they have seen it in Sri Lanka for three decades.

Fernando further said that Sri Lanka values the support from Pakistan in tough times, adding that they can understand Pakistan's agony and are ready to help in every possible way, hinting at the possibility of formal talks between the PCB and SLC.

The SLC official also touched upon the upcoming tour to Bangladesh and hoped it would go ahead as per schedule, adding that he also hopes that the situation will get better after the general elections in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is scheduled to host Sri Lanka for two Tests, two Twenty20s and three ODIs during a series starting from January 27, the report added.