It was in 2009 that the Sri Lankan team was brutally attacked by the terrorists in Pakistan as they headed to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Since then the then most of the cricketing nations have stalled the idea of travelling to Pakistan for matches and have been played at UAE. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board is leaving no stone unturned to revive cricket in the country. In 2017 Sri Lankan team had travelled to Pakistan and this year again the Islander is to go the same country once again for three ODI and an equal number of T20Is. Sri Lanka Tour Of Pakistan 2019.

However, as per a recent tweet by a senior journalist from Sri Lanka, several cricketers including Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera and others have opted out of the tour due to security concerns. In all, there are ten players who will not board a flight to Pakistan. The cricketing body in Pakistan had assured foolproof security but despite that, the players have backed out of the tournament. The ODI series will begin from September 27, 2019.

Check out the list of players who will be opting out of the series.

Pakistan Cricket Board had urged the Sri Lankan board to play the Test matches as well to which the latter did not agree. If one may recall, six members of the Pakistani team were wounded and according to officials, 12 gunmen were hiding at the Liberty Square, the place from where the team bus was supposed to pass. The attackers were armed with AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades, RPG launchers, claymores and explosive charges.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2019 08:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).