RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Dec 9, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Sri Lanka arrived for the
first Test cricket tour of Pakistan in 10 years on Monday following the
deadly 2009 attack on their team that plunged Pakistan into sporting
isolation.
“The arrival of Sri Lankan team is a historic occasion and we are
delighted to host the two-match Test series starting from Wednesday,” said
Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Waseem Khan.
The first Test starts in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Wednesday,
while the second begins in Karachi on December 19.
A video tweeted by the PCB showed the Sri Lankan team arriving in
Islamabad and being escorted by armed security forces.
The tour marks the return of Test cricket to Pakistan after a decade of
isolation triggered by the attack in Lahore, which killed eight people and
wounded several cricketers.
For years, Pakistan has been forced to play all its home matches in
neutral venue the United Arab Emirates as foreign teams refused to tour the
country over security fears.
But as security has improved Pakistan has hosted a smattering of smaller
matches including Twenty20 series with Zimbabwe and the West Indies, and an
increasing number of domestic league matches featuring international players.
But until now no team has returned for a Test match, the five-day format
considered the pinnacle of the game.
Sri Lanka toured Pakistan for three one-day internationals and as many
Twenty20s in September and October, and said they were satisfied with the
security arrangements before confirming the Test tour.