The cricket world was united in shock on Tuesday after gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's team bus in Lahore, with some countries wondering if they had played their last matches in Pakistan for a long time. "As far as Pakistan is concerned I'm afraid this could mean the end of international cricket in that country for the foreseeable future," South Africa coach Mickey Arthur told Reuters.
Until the visit by Sri Lanka, Pakistan had gone without test matches for over a year due to security concerns. Tuesday's attack, in which six players were injured, prompted questions over their cricket future plus messages of sympathy. Pakistan's chances of co-hosting the 2011 World Cup looked to be hanging by a thread, the International Cricket Council (ICC) saying it would review the issue at its next board meeting in April.
"It will be challenging for us to be convinced Pakistan will be a safe venue," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat told a news conference after the Lahore attack killed six policemen and a bus driver. "It's difficult to see international cricket being played in Pakistan for the foreseeable future." Despite expressions of sorrow, anguish and shock from the boards of test-playing nations, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) urged the international community not to axe its country as a tour venue.
"At a time when terrorist attacks are taking place all over the world Pakistan cricket should not be abandoned or isolated. We can still hold international matches," PCB director of human resources Wasim Bari told reporters. New Zealand, the next team due to tour Pakistan at the end of the year, did not rule out travelling but their reaction was hardly encouraging.
"It's very frightening that, for the first time, a cricket team are what appears to be the specific target of terrorist action," New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan told the New Zealand Press Association.
HOURS OF CRISIS England, scheduled to tour Pakistan in 2010, gave no clue whether their plans had changed. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said it had been a "despicable" attack. Chief executive David Collier added it was a "very serious situation for Pakistan" and that security was the number one concern ahead of any tour. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said it had been a "dastardly" attack.
"We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured cricketers and sympathise with their families and compatriots. The BCCI stands alongside Sri Lanka cricket in this hour of crisis," secretary N.Srinivasan said in a statement. Sri Lanka manager Brendan Kurrupu said his country had not made an error by agreeing to tour Pakistan, arranged hastily after India cancelled a scheduled visit in the wake of November's Mumbai attacks.
"It was not a mistake to come and play in Pakistan. What happened today is tragic but we have to deal with it," he told reporters. It was not just Pakistan's future on home soil that was in doubt, with Bangladesh wondering what would happen to Pakistan's limited-overs tour of their country this month.
"We will watch how the incident and the aftermath unfold and respond accordingly," said Ahmed Sazzadul Alam, organising committee chairman for the series. "However, our preparation is almost complete and we are ready to go ahead." The International Olympic Committee (IOC) joined the cricket boards in expressing sadness at the attack.
"We strongly condemn such acts of violence against athletes and the sporting community. We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families of the wounded athletes," it said in a statement. Former coach Geoff Lawson painted a bleak future for the already fragile state of Pakistan cricket. "The prospects were not great for Pakistan cricket before this, they're absolutely horrendous now," said the Australian.