Cricket Ireland advised there is ‘no change in the threat level’ for Pakistan tour

Cricket Ireland have confirmed that they are continuing to monitor the security situation in Pakistan after liaising with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in relation to the shooting of the country’s former prime minister Imran Khan. The Irish women’s team is currently in the country for a six-match tour.

Khan, who was appearing at a protest rally in Wazirabad, was shot and taken to a hospital in Lahore. Ireland are due to take on Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium, also in Lahore. The first game is set for Friday morning at 4.30am Irish time. It will be the first time any Irish side has played in Pakistan.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, Cricket Ireland said that chief executive Warren Deutrom has talked to PCB counterpart Faisal Haisnan and that “current advice provided to Cricket Ireland is that there will be no change in the threat level as a result of this incident”. The Irish players have also been briefed on the current situation.

The statement continued: “There are no anticipated changes to the security arrangements and procedures that are already in place for the tour. Updates will be provided if any circumstances change.”

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Khan, who is a former cricketer himself and captained his country to a World Cup title in 1992, was leading a protest march on Islamabad to demand snap elections. After being elected prime minister in 2018, Khan was ousted in last April’s general election and has led many rallies against the current government since.

Following a terrorist attack in Lahore on the Sri Lankan men’s team in 2009, Pakistan has seen a dearth of international cricket due to security concerns. Zimbabwe toured in 2015 to end a six-year hiatus but it was not until Sri Lanka themselves returned in 2019 that teams have consistently visited the country.

However, in 2021 both the England and New Zealand men’s sides had tours of Pakistan cancelled by their national governing bodies due to security concerns. Since then, Australia toured last April while England recently played a seven-match series in the build-up to the ongoing men’s T20 World Cup.

Pakistan women hosted Sri Lanka in a series spanning from May-June of this year that was played without incident.

A spokesman said to The Irish Times that “The Department of Foreign Affairs has been in ongoing contact with Cricket Ireland regarding the current Ireland women’s cricket squad tour to Pakistan, and will continue to engage.”