Sri Lanka's support staff agree to travel Lahore for T20 match
Reports suggest the Sri Lankan support staff including the likes of Hashan Thilakaratne, Asanka Gurusinha, and Nic Pothas have agreed to tour Lahore for the T20I game against Pakistan. The change in heart took place after Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur had a word with them about their concerns.
According to Cricbuzz, a source inside Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed that batting coach Thilakaratne, bowling coach Ratnayake, manager Gurusinha, and head coach Nic Pothas had all changed their minds after speaking to Mickey Arthur. The report also suggested that the change in the stance of the support staff is likely to have an effect on the players as well. However, the support staff members have been instructed to write to Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva individually and state their keenness to tour.
The National team players had earlier, in a letter, told SLC President Thialnga Sumathipala about their reluctance to play a match in Lahore and had gone as far as to request a change of venue. However, the report also suggested that SLC would only select the players who would want to travel to the venue in the team.
The current Sri Lankan squad still has the likes of Suranga Lakmal and Chamara Kapugedera, who were a part of the team that was attacked by terrorists in March 2009 in Lahore.
The ICC recently organised a T20 series between Pakistan and World XI and expressed their satisfaction with the security arrangements in place. The PCB has promised the Sri Lankan team the security arrangements which would be similar to that of travelling Heads of States.