SPORTS WORLD: March 3 2009 darkest day in the history of Pakistan cricket: International cricket may not return anytime soon

Terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore has put the last nail in the coffin of Pakistan cricket as the country has lost all hopes for hosting home series against any top class foreign team. Pakistan were still trying to get out of the trauma of change of venue of the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy to a neutral venue, the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team has further equally jolted the cricket authorities and the government.
The impact of this heinous crime will and continue to haunt the cricketers and the fans alike for a long time. It was really a darkest day in the history of Pakistan cricket, as the incident has locked the arrival of international cricket to this country. The terror attack has saddened millions of fans across the country, who considered the Sri Lankans as a ray of hope for revival of international matches in Pakistan.
They recalled that despite the annoyance of the Indian government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sri Lanka decided to tour Pakistan for a three-match One-day International (ODI) in January and two-Test match series in February-March.
SHAMEFUL ACT: Whatever are the facts and whoever was responsible for this shameful act, but sport circles do not rule out the possibility of foreign hand behind this incident to defame and isolate Pakistan in the world cricket.
Criticising the security lapse, they referred to the reported letter of the intelligence agencies regarding the terrorists attack in Lahore. Despite being alerted by the intelligence agencies about a possible terrorist attack on the visitors, the provincial government did not pay heed to these reports.
MUNICH OLYMPIC INCIDENT: Players have never been targets and many were confident the kind of deadly attacks on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics would never be repeated. So has the attack finally dashed Pakistans hopes of staying on as a joint-host of the 2011 World Cup along with India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
With teams such as Australia, New Zealand and England already refusing to travel to Pakistan, will the Lahore terror attack be the last straw for sub-continent teams in the years to come? It looks like Pakistan cricket is set for a long winter. The straw that broke the camels back is the last thing you are willing to accept after which you will not put up with any more.
CRICKET LEGENDS: The cricket legends and stars have termed the incident as a bad luck for Pakistan cricket, and said it would cause an irreparable loss to the future of not only cricket, but also other sports. Pakistan cricket, which is under terrible stress due to law and order situation, the terror attack on Sri Lankan cricketers will have an impact on the 2011 World Cup, as Pakistan are one of the hosts.
Shocked at the shootout, Pakistan captain Younus Khan said: "The players are shocked. This is not acceptable anywhere. We never expect such things in cricket. This is really a very terrible incident," he said. Younus Khan said that the Sri Lankan players had termed the incident a bad experience and this incident would cause damage to cricket in Pakistan.
DAVID MORGAN: Meanwhile, International Cricket Council (ICC) President David Morgan has said Pakistan cannot host international cricket unless they dramatically improve security. About the 2011 World Cup, he said: "In the current situation it clearly is a very dangerous place.
"I think that international cricket in Pakistan is out of the question until there is a very significant change," he added. An ICC spokesman said he assumed Morgan was referring to a call by Pakistani Senators for the Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB) to be sacked.
Soon after the shootout, the Sri Lankan tour was called off followed by their departure from Pakistan. Commenting on the departure of the Sri Lankan team, former captain Javed Miandad said it was the departure of cricket from Pakistan. Javed Miandad further said that Sri Lanka and Pakistan had always helped each other, as the Sri Lanka had never said no to tour Pakistan, particularly when the foreign teams were reluctant to tour Pakistan.
"This (incident) is going to affect Pakistan cricket in the future," he said, and dispelled the impression that it would bring an end to cricket." Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said: "I am worried where Pakistan will get a chance to play, not only in Pakistan, but outside as well. This is all so sad." Wasim Akram said that Pakistan hosting the World Cup in 2011 was now a "distant dream". "I dont want to talk about cricket alone. The attacks are unwarranted and have put Pakistan to shame."