By IANS
Melbourne : Thursday’s bomb attack in Lahore have increased doubts over Australia’s tour of Pakistan as Cricket Australia (CA) executives met foreign affairs officials in Canberra.
However, Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson, former Australian fast bowler, who is in Karachi, reaffirmed his sense of safety in the strife-torn country.
Australian cricketers are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan in March.
A suicide bomber triggered an explosion outside Lahore High Court, killing at least 22 people and adding to security fears for Australia’s cricketers following the assassination of presidential candidate Benazir Bhutto last month.
CA official Michael Brown and Australian Cricketers Association boss Paul Marsh Friday met senior politicians to discuss the level of safety in the troubled country.
“It was a general briefing on the entire situation, from the latest bombings to the political situation, the Bhutto assassination, their travel advisories and so on,” Marsh said.
Marsh denied reports that the Test tour had been called off. And he confirmed that a safety reconnaissance tour scheduled for after the Pakistan elections Feb 18 would go ahead.
Lawson said he was still hopeful the tour could go ahead.
“I don’t know much about the blast because I am here in Karachi. I do feel safe in Pakistan and have expressed the same to some of the Australian players and informally to CA, but they make their own decisions,” Lawson told reporters in Karachi.
“The Australians want to see what state the nation is in after the elections. They do their own thorough investigation and they make careful judgments because they know the importance of the series and their relationship. I sincerely hope that it takes place but it’s a long way off.”