Lahiru Thirimanne, captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team, ahead of the first ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, said that the focus should be on cricket rather than security. He said that security has been really good and that the players have not encountered any problems. He also added that the facilities are really good and that the focus should be on the game rather than on the security.

"We can win if full potential is used"

While speaking to a sports agency, he said that the team has a lot of youngsters and that most of them are under 25. He said that they have played a lot of domestic cricket and have represented Sri Lanka earlier. He also went on to say that nobody has any kind of pressure and that they have a good chance at winning if they play to their full potential.

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His comment came in connection with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) seeking the assistance of Pakistan’s government for a reassessment of the security situation in the country. While seeking assistance, it had said the measure was being sought after a warning that the SLC received from the Prime Minister's Office sent via the Ministry of Telecommunication, Foreign Employment and Sports regarding a possible terrorist threat to the team while touring Pakistan.

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10 players had backed out

Ten Sri Lankan players Including Lasith Malinga, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Janith Perera, Dhananjaya De Silva, Thisara Perera, Akila Dhananjaya, Angelo Mathews, Suranga Lakmal, Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne had backed out of the game and had chosen to not to join the series in Pakistan due to security concerns. 

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2009 attack had eluded Pakistan from holding matches

In 2009, the Sri Lankan team, while they were on their way to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for a Test match with Pakistan, was fired at indiscriminately by terrorists believed to be from Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). The attack had left eight people dead and injured seven Sri Lankan players and staff. The 2009 attack had led to Pakistan being eluded by international cricket and no high-profile team could visit the nation for a full-length tour. However, Sri Lanka had, in October 2017, made its return to the Imran Khan-led country in for a T20 match in Lahore. 

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