Ban on Gunathilaka halved before Pakistan tour

AFP: Sri Lanka’s cricket board Tuesday halved a six-match ban imposed on all-rounder Danushka Gunathilaka for misconduct, amid speculation several players may drop out of an upcoming Twenty20 series final in Pakistan.

The board’s decision clears Gunathilaka to play in the three-match series starting October 26 in the United Arab Emirates, though the final squad of 15 will not be announced until Friday.

The final will be played on 29 October in Lahore, where the Sri Lankan team bus came under attack from militants in 2009. 

No top international cricket side has returned to Pakistan since then.

“The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket decided to revise the suspension imposed on Gunathilaka upon consideration of the appeal,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.

Gunathilaka was suspended for unspecified “misconduct” during Sri Lanka’s humiliating home series thrashing by India in which the islanders lost 9-0.

His fine – 20% of his annual match fees - remains unchanged.

Gunathilaka was dropped from the squad for the ongoing five-match one-day international series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

His reprieve comes as players express private concerns about the board’s decision to play the Twenty20 series final in Lahore. 

A source close to the board said skipper Upul Tharanga and Lasith Malinga were likely to pull out of the entire series due to security concerns about the final.

The board announced Monday that it would go ahead with the tour and “confirmed its commitment to play the third T20” in Lahore after assessments by government agencies, independent security experts and the International Cricket Council.

Sri Lanka Cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala would accompany the team, the board added. In August he called for an end to Pakistan’s isolation from world cricket.

Pakistan shifted their “home” matches to the UAE after the 2009 militant attack.

Since then, only low-ranked Zimbabwe has toured Pakistan, playing five limited-overs games in Lahore in 2015. 

But a World XI squad comprising 13 players from seven top cricket-playing nations played in Lahore last month, with Pakistan hoping the visit would help end years of international isolation.

Sri Lanka to play in Pakistan eight years after gun attack

Reuters: Sri Lanka will play a Twenty20 international in Lahore on Oct. 29, returning to the city for the first time since they suffered a gun and grenade attack in 2009, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed on Monday.

The attack, in which six police officers and two civilians were killed and six Sri Lanka players injured, meant Pakistan became a virtual no-go area for touring teams. Apart from a brief visit by Zimbabwe in 2015, Pakistan has since been playing its home matches in the United Arab Emirates.

But last month Pakistan hosted three Twenty20 internationals against a World XI in the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The SLC said over the past two months it had conducted a thorough evaluation with the assistance of the governments of Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board and independent Security experts.

“Having been fully satisfied with the stringent security measures in place, the SLC ExCo unanimously decided to play the 3rd T20 in Lahore on the 29th October,” the SLC said in the statement.

The first two matches in the Twenty20 series will played in the United Arab Emirates.

Amir back in Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad

AFP: Pakistan recalled pace spearhead Mohammad Amir in the 16-man squad for the three-match Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka starting next week.

The 25-year-old suffered a shin injury during the second Test in Dubai but is included in the squad after rehab in the hope that he will recover in time. 

The first two matches will be played in Abu Dhabi on 26 and 27 October before teams fly to Lahore for the final game on 29 October.

Sarfraz Ahmed will lead the Pakistan side. 

Sri Lanka Cricket Monday confirmed their team will tour Lahore in a ‘fly in, fly out’ arrangement for just one day - eight years after their team bus was attacked by gunmen in the same city.

The attacks, which left eight people killed and seven visiting players and their staff injured, forced international teams to stay away from Pakistan over security fears.

Pakistan successfully hosted the final of the Pakistan Super League in Lahore earlier this year and last month’s three-match Twenty20 series against a World XI revived international cricket in the country.

Also staging a comeback in the squad is spinning allrounder Mohammad Hafeez who was dropped for the World XI series, while pace allrounder Amir Yamin has also been recalled after his performance in domestic matches.

Yamin played his last international match, against England in the UAE, in 2015.

Squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Mohammad Amir (subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin