Lahore bombings cast another shadow on Australia’s Pakistan tour

By IANS

Sydney : Thursday’s suicide bomb blast outside the Lahore High Court, which claimed 25 lives, has cast another shadow on Australia’s cricket tour to Pakistan, scheduled in March.


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The series was already under threat following the assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Banazir Bhutto last month during an election rally at Rawalpindi. After the assassination, several Australian cricketers expressed fears about their security.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland, Australian Cricketers’ Association counterpart Paul Marsh and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith will meet to take stock of the security issue.

However, Thursday’s blast may spell doom for the series as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already made it clear that they would not have the matches played at a neutral venue.

Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson, who was in Karachi at the time of the blast, said that in spite of the frequent terror attacks, the nation is safe to travel in. He has shared his viewpoint with some Australian players.

“I don’t know much about the blast because I am here in Karachi,” Lawson was quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald as saying.

“I do feel safe in Pakistan and have expressed that to some of the Australian players and informally to Cricket Australia, but they make their own decisions.

“Australians want to see what state the nation is after the elections. They will do their own thorough investigation and will make careful judgements because they know the importance of the series and their relationship. I sincerely hope that the series takes place.”

Australia is scheduled to play three Tests, five One-Day Internationals and a Twenty20 match during the tour.

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