Just when Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was hoping to convince more international teams to play matches in the country, an inappropriate remark by Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) President Shammi Silva’s has dented it’s hopes big time.
The Sri Lankan team played a three-match ODI series in Karachi followed by a three-match T20 series in Lahore, where they registered a historic 3-0 win over the top-ranked hosts.
However, on returning to Colombo, Silva had reportedly told the media that the Sri Lankan players were fed up with being confined to their hotel for three to four days in Pakistan.
Obviously, Silva’s remarks have come as a surprise for the PCB which is keen to build on the recent tour and have the full Sri Lankan team play two Tests of the ICC World Championship in Pakistan in December. The PCB is also trying to host the entire edition of the fifth Pakistan Super League in the country besides inviting Bangladesh to play its Test series in Pakistan.
A PCB source said top officials had communicated their displeasure with SLC after learning about Silva’s comments.
“The PCB is very disappointed and hurt over such comments as presidential level security was provided to the visiting team on the insistence of their board. We wanted to make their stay as comfortable as possible,” the source said.
The source added that the PCB has reminded Lankan board officials that the players were given the option of going out to play golf and do some shopping while they were also entertained at official dinners and functions.
The source added further that although some strong security measures were in place for the visiting players but remarks such as they were “fed-up” after being confined to their hotel were not fair.
It is noteworthy that SLC had also sent a delegation prior to the tour, led by ever dependable secretary Mohan De Silva. Even then, as it has been a norm with SLC, Shammi Silva, along with controversial vice president Ravin Wickramaratne and CCC members, visited Pakistan during the matches. However, even after successfully playing an entire series, Shammi’s shocking comments have now made PCB task more difficult.
