Gunmen Attack Bus Carrying Sri Lankan Cricket Team

[Hermiod]

From the BBC.

Gunmen have attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team on its way to play in the Pakistani city of Lahore.

At least five members of the Sri Lankan cricket team were injured and five Pakistani policemen escorting the team bus were killed.

Pakistani officials said about 12 gunmen were involved and grenades and rocket launchers have been recovered.

The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says the incident will come as a big blow to Pakistani cricket.

 

[Mallory]

Home matches might be a little hard for Pakistan to arrange for a while.

 

[apostle83]

This is horrible. What do you do when you're in a situation (Hint: Everyone, in every country is in this situation) in which your government can't guarantee your individual and small group security?

 

[Starkers]

Lock the doors...and pray they don't have blasters...

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Home matches might be a little hard for Pakistan to arrange for a while.

There are several countries in the cricket world, that don't want to tour there due to the fact of violence. Australia are playing an ODI in another country, India didn't want to tour there either. New Zealand have proposed a tour also.

Feel sorry for all the cricket lovers in Pakistan.

 

[Starkers]

Yeah its a huge shame if nobody now tours/plays in Pakistan, and will probably only aid in that country's radicalization (probably the terrorists plan). I don't know what the answer is, as there's a limit to the security procedures you can put in place to safeguard a foreign team (or even the Pakistani side).

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Home matches might be a little hard for Pakistan to arrange for a while.

There's talk of hosting Australia's forthcoming 2010 tour of Pakistan in a neutral venue... say, England.

 

[Hermiod]

^Given the number of British Pakistanis who live here, England is far, far removed from being a neutral country.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

True. It's the closest we'll have to a home Pakistani venue... but hopefully with better security too.

 

[Hermiod]

^That said, we're not exactly short on Aussies here either.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Or Sri Lankans, South Africans, Bangladeshi, Kenyans, Zimbabweans, Kiwis, Caribbean ex-pats, and there's definitely no shortage of Indians here.

Cricket lovers of the world, come to England!

 

[StolenThunder]

Cricket lovers of the world, come to England!

There's a joke to be made here about the quality of the English cricket team.

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

Pakistan Must Be Obama's Leading Foreign Priority


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/pakistan_must_be_obamas_leadin.html