It was on, then apparently off, then on, before being finally called off. For an unscheduled tour, Sri Lanka's proposed last minute tour of Pakistan has caused confusion aplenty.
When, however, Sri Lanka demanded that the team be given a military airlift in the event of hostilities against Afganistan, the Pakistan administrators realised the time had come to say no.
"The series will not be held. It is cancelled. The decision has been taken due to circumstances beyond the control of both the cricket boards," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) media spokesman Khalid Butt confirmed from Lahore.
Sri Lanka had seriously considered embarking on a three-ODI tour of Pakistan after New Zealand had pulled out of a scheduled tour in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in the US.
On Tuesday, the Sri Lankan board had agreed "in principle" to the tour, after lengthy discussions with the players and the Foreign Office. They reasoned, nobly perhaps, that Sri Lanka owed their Asia brothers a favour after Pakistan and Indian players decided to play a World Cup curtain raiser in Colombo in 1996 after a Tamil Tiger bomb in the capital forced Australia and West Indies to forfeit their group matches in Sri Lanka.
They, though, demanded from the PCB that the players be airlifted to safety in the event of US retaliation, fearful that the players may be forced to flee the country by road or train. Such an unusual request was impossible to guarantee.
"We are disappointed that this tour has also not gone ahead as per schedule because we would very much like to have some international cricket," said Butt. "But there is nothing we can do about the prevailing situation. The Sri Lankans were keen to play the matches but we had to call the programme off."
The decision, inevitable as it was, is a blow for the PCB, who have suffered massive financial loses this year after the withdrawal of New Zealand and the cancellation of an Indian tour earlier this year. They have not received any income since the England tour in December 2000.
Pakistan are still hopeful that the team can play in Sharjah, in a tri-series with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, scheduled for October 26. According to Butt the board is now arranging the necessary travel documents.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have named their Sharjah squad. Fast bowling allrounder, Suresh Perera, is the notable omission. Perera's bowling action was questioned by umpire Steve Bucknor during the recently completed Test series against India and Sri Lanka have replaced him with fast bowler Charitha Buddika.
© CricInfo
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