- Title: Be patient over home internationals, Pakistan PM tells cricket team
- Date: 5th July 2017
- Summary: LAHORE, PAKISTAN (FILE - MARCH, 2009) (REUTERS) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) POLICE AT SCENE POLICEMAN RUNNING POLICE ESCORT CAR AND MOTOR BIKE FOR SRI LANKAN TEAM THAT WERE ATTACKED BY GUNMEN
- Embargoed: 19th July 2017 15:05
- Keywords: Pakistan cricket Nawaz Sharif
- Location: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN/LAHORE, PAKISTAN/LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN/LAHORE, PAKISTAN/LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Cricket,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0046OFZ2V3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: ++EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS MATERIAL CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT. SEE SHOTS 20-26 IN THE SHOT LIST BELOW++
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday (July 4) asked Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan and other officials of PCB not to plead with any foreign team to visit the country if they are not willing to come and play cricket in Pakistan.
Sharif was addressing a reception held at the PM House in Islamabad to welcome the triumphant Pakistan cricket team that recently won the ICC Champions Trophy.
However, he said he was hopeful that the time was not far when all the international cricket teams would happily visit Pakistan.
Pakistan has had almost no international cricket on their home ground since a 2009 gun attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in Lahore left six Pakistani policemen and a van driver dead. Some players and a local umpire were injured. The Sri Lankan players had to be airlifted out of the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore as the tour was abandoned.
In 2015, Zimbabwe became the first test-playing nation to tour Pakistan since the attack after Pakistan promised fool-proof security for the team.
However, during the second ODI match, there was a loud explosion outside the stadium that was reported to have been caused by an electricity transformer.
It was later revealed to be a suicide attack that killed a civilian and a Punjab Police officer, who was trying to stop the bomber.
Despite the attack, the third and final match of the series went ahead as scheduled. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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