ISLAMABAD: Indian social media users erupted in anger and disbelief on Wednesday after Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced that its team would continue its Pakistan tour despite a recent terrorist attack in Islamabad.
The announcement came after days of speculation in the Indian media suggesting that the visiting team was preparing to return home due to security concerns. The SLC, however, confirmed that it had reviewed the situation with Pakistani authorities and decided to proceed with the series as planned.
The decision triggered a wave of furious reactions from Indian users on X (formerly Twitter), with many accounts accusing the Sri Lankan board of “putting players’ lives at risk” and prioritizing money over safety.
An account named @1spacerecorder posted: “Sri Lanka cricket is not just playing cricket — they are playing with their lives. They have not learned anything from the 2009 attack. Sri Lanka should immediately cancel the series and leave the country to save their lives.”
One user, @Naviya, wrote: “Send the entire cricket board to Pakistan too — let them experience firsthand what they’ve put the team through.”
An account named @VelleVelle56170 called the SLC “shameless” for “risking players’ lives for money” and sarcastically congratulated “eight Sri Lankan players [who] successfully escaped from the terror filth.”
User @chumchum432 wrote: “Srilankan team management is just bullshit management. How on earth can someone send the team when already that team was attacked back in 2009?”
Similarly, @ranjithkumar599 tagged the Sri Lanka Cricket Board in a post saying: “You guys don’t have common sense. Attacks happened many times when you were in Pakistan, still you visited.”
The backlash contrasted sharply with reactions in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, where fans hailed the SLC’s resolve as a sign of enduring friendship and sportsmanship.
Hashtags such as #FriendshipNotOut and #PAKvSL began trending across both countries soon after the announcement.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar praised Sri Lanka’s gesture, saying the island nation had “once again stood with Pakistan and with the game of cricket.”
Former Pakistan quick Shoaib Akhtar also thanked the Sri Lankan cricket team for “standing with cricket and defeating terrorism.”
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe cricket team also landed in Pakistan. The tri-nation T20I series, featuring Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe, will continue as scheduled, with the remaining Pakistan v Sri Lanka ODIs to be played in Rawalpindi on Nov. 14 and 16.
.jpg)
