IPL may be put off, 2011 World Cup may avoid Pakistan

Till Tuesday, 'tis not cricket' had a connotation quite different from what it might be in the future.

The assassination of 11 Israelis by Palestinians in the Munich Olympic Village in 1972 remains the most dastardly act of violence in modern sports history. But yesterday's terrorist attack by a dozen armed gunmen on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore is no less diabolical even if there have been fewer casualties, and no player has died.

Cricket-loving Gujarat has articulated concern for Sri Lanka’s cricketers who were attacked in Lahore, and expressed the gravest of reservations about Pakistan being included in any sports itinerary in the near future.

Colombo  - Sri Lanka's cricket team returned home early Wednesday, one day after narrowly escaping a terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan with the team captain paying tribute to the bus driver for saving their lives.

The shaken team was welcomed at Colombo airport amid tight security by anxious relatives and Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge.

Islamabad  - The brazen terrorist ambush targeting the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore came as a shocking reminder of the threat posed to Pakistan by ever bolder Islamist militants.

Recent years have seen the Islamic country endure dozens of suicide attacks and roadside bombings that have killed thousands, including former premier Benazir Bhutto.

But the attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team seemed to turn a brutal new page as around a dozen terrorists made their getaway after action graphically captured by TV cameras.

Islamabad - Sri Lankan cricket team narrowly escaped a hostage situation or merciless executions on Tuesday when masked gunmen, believed to be Islamic militants, attacked it in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, leaving six police officers killed and seven players injured.

The gunmen targeted a bus carrying the Sri Lankan players to Gaddafi Stadium, where Sri Lanka and Pakistan were to open the third day of play of their second test match. The police van escorting the team also came under attack.

Nagpur, Mar 3 : In the wake of Tuesday's terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to provide additional security to the Indian team.

Indian team is in a 47-days tour of New Zealand.

Addressing the reporters here, BCCI president Shashank Manohar said that he has asked the team's manager Niranjan Shah to take extra precautions regarding the player's safety and security.