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Sri Lanka's Mahesh Theekshana, third left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of Pakistan's Hussain Talat during the first one day international cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo)
At least eight Sri Lankan cricketers are said to have expressed fears for their safety and are likely to abandon the Pakistan tri-series tournament and return home after a suicide bombing rocked Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Tuesday. The attack in the Pakistan capital killed 12 and wounded 27 outside a district court building.
The tri-series tournament features Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are currently playing a three-match ODI series, which will be a precursor to the T20I tri-series also involving Zimbabwe. In the first One-Day International on Tuesday, which went on in Rawalpindi despite the suicide attack in the city of Islamabad, Pakistan Cricket Team had defeated Sri Lanka by six runs.
On its part, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had told international media agencies that security for the visiting teams had been increased after the Islamabad terror attack. The remaining matches of the tour are scheduled to take place on Thursday and Saturday. The remaining two ODI games were also scheduled to be held in Rawalpindi.
A report in The Guardian noted that the bomber made several attempts to get inside the buildings before detonating a device next to a police car.
According to a report on news agency AFP, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Shammi Silva said that they were preparing a formal statement about continuing their participation in the tournament.
AFP also quoted a source as saying: “The second ODI against Pakistan tomorrow is in doubt, but substitute players will be sent to continue the tri-nation series.”
It must be noted that the Sri Lankan cricket team had come under a terror attack back in March 2009 when gunmen opened fire on their team bus as it was taking them to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for a Test match. The Sri Lankan team had to be evacuated from Pakistan after that terror attack which left six Sri Lankan players wounded.
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In the aftermath of the that terror attack, international teams had stayed away from Pakistan for nearly a decade.
What happened in 2009
Recalling the day of attack in 2009, Muhammad Khaleel, the man who was driving the bus on that fateful day, had once shared the ordeal with The Indian Express. When the attackers opened fire, he thought it was celebratory fireworks. But soon he saw, in the mirror, that the Sri Lankan players had dived to either side of the aisle.
He said he then saw a man on the street shoot at the bus. “Kalashinikov tha — one went through the glass, one flew by, and I heard the players say, ‘Go, go, go’. It jolted me and I decided to drive ahead. To rush ahead an eight-cylinder bus on second gear wasn’t easy but I knew I had to escape the scene. They were 10-15 of them, I think, and grouped in twos.”
Then came a hand-grenade that dipped in front of the bus and rolled to the other side — and didn’t explode. “When I saw that grenade, I thought I should jump out and run but mere mulk key mehmaan hain yeh Sri Lankans — How could I leave them? And, good, I didn’t jump out as I guess I would have been killed by a bullet anyway.”
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The escort gave him cover, he said, and he rammed ahead, taking the Sri Lankan team to safety.
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