ICC to review World Cup plans

THE International Cricket Council will review plans for the 2011 World Cup following this morning's terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team coach in Lahore.

Pakistan was due to stage 14 games in the event as co-hosts alongside India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

One of the semi-finals was slated for the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which was the intended destination today for the Sri Lanka bus when it was attacked by gunmen.

Five policeman were killed in the ensuing battle while five Sri Lankan players were injured.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat admitted there would now be urgent talks about whether to shift World Cup matches away from Pakistan in two years' time.

He told Times Now: "In the next day or two we will have to make some serious decisions and we will.

"We can be thankful that there were not more fatalities.

"There obviously have been breaches and the security has not been good
enough.

"There will be some serious repercussions from this, but for the time being we need to make sure the players, the officials and the people who have been dear to us are safe.

"That must be our focus for now and we will address that as much as we possibly can."

Sri Lanka vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara was one of the five players to receive shrapnel wounds but later confirmed he and his team-mates were safe.

He told CNN-IBN: "There are a few injuries but everyone is safe and all the players are out of danger.

"We are shocked, but apart from that everyone is okay.

"Thilan (Samaraweera) has a shrapnel wound in his leg, but he is fine.

"(Tharanga) Paranavitana had shrapnel in his chest, but thank God it wasn't very deep and just on the surface.

"I had shrapnel injuries in my shoulder, but they have all been removed and I'm okay now.

"Ajantha (Mendis) had shrapnel in his neck and scalp, but he too has had medical attention and is fine.

"Everyone else is perfectly all right."

Thilan Thushara was the fifth player confirmed by Sri Lanka sports minister Gamini Lokuge to have been injured.

This was the first Test series to have been played in the country for 14 months.

Australia last year refused to tour Pakistan amid the unrest which followed the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The Champions Trophy in the country was also called off, while Sri Lanka were only touring because of the breakdown in relations between Pakistan and India.

Sri Lankan officials will now come under pressure to justify their trip to Pakistan although team manager Brendon Kuruppu insisted they were right to travel.

"I don't think it was a mistake to come to Pakistan in the first place," he said on CNN-IBN.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board has given us all assurances that everything would be fine.

"We are lucky that none of the players were injured critically.

"It is a very sad situation, but we would have to take this incident into consideration when we plan future tours to this country."
Sangakkara added: "It's very unfortunate that this has happened.

"Everything had gone on very well until this morning, but it just goes to show that nothing is as it seems.

"I don't regret coming here to play cricket because that's what we have been doing all our lives. That is our profession.

"But I regret this incident, what has happened and the situation that we have had to go through.

"All we want to do now is to go back home to our families, get back home and be safe."

The team were later airlifted away from the stadium and will fly back to Sri Lanka today.

Sri Lanka media manager Waji Rao said: "They have already left the country and will be flying home via Abu Dhabi.

"They are expected to arrive in Colombo tomorrow morning.

"All the team members are on board the flight to Abu Dhabi.

"All the injuries were minor except to Samaraweera. He suffered a
bullet injury to the thigh, but he is out of danger.

"The others suffered shrapnel and injuries from flying glass."