It is good to resume cricket in Pakistan: Tharanga Paranavitana

Tharanga Paranavitana doesn’t have too many fond memories of his visit to Pakistan. The former Sri Lankan opener was one of the victims during the eventful day of March 3, 2009, when a group of terrorists attacked the Lankan team bus in Lahore. Since then cricket took a turn back from Pakistan, and only a 5-match series against Zimbabwe was all the fans could witness in eight years.

Tharanga believes that the Sri Lankan cricketers should only focus on the game and not think of the external factors. Now the chief of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), he had earlier cleared the team to play three T20s, including at least one in Lahore. This will be a huge opportunity for Pakistan to encourage other nations to visit their country so that cricket in the nation can earn back an active status.

A welcome move

“It is a welcome move by our board and I support it. If our team is going there then the players should concentrate only on cricket and forget about that incident. The team should visit Pakistan as the fans there are deprived of good cricket. Pakistan are a good side now and if the situation has improved there, it is good to resume playing cricket,” Paranavitana, 35, told mid-day yesterday. “I think our boys have to play proper cricket. We hardly have two to three senior players and they will have to guide the youngsters,” he added.

The dreadful day

Talking about the dreadful day, Paranavitana added: “While we were on our way to the ground, we heard a big sound and our bus was surrounded by four shooters. I can’t remember much about the incident now, but it was almost like a film. The effect of the trauma was present for a few days. It was very sad.”

On being asked if he would visit Pakistan again if the victims of the terror attack were invited to play a cricket match, the former player said that he will first have to consult his family.