Sri Lanka is to use special armed forces to guarantee the safety of teams while they compete in the T20 World Cup next month, with the match between India and Pakistan, age-old rivals, being subject to extra security measures.
The island nation is co-hosting the tournament together with India and it hosts a total of 20 games from February 7 to March 8. The much-anticipated Group A clash between India and Pakistan is to take place on February 15 in Colombo.
Cricket has become a part of the political tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who fought a brief border conflict last year. Sri Lanka’s sports minister, Sunil Kumara Gamage, emphasised that the organisation of a smooth tournament is their ‘highest priority’ and special attention would be given to India-Pakistan fixture.
Elite commando units normally tasked with just protecting visiting heads of state will secure all the teams, with armed security from the moment they land until they depart.
Political tensions have already affected the tournament. Pakistan refused to play its scheduled matches in India over the hostilities and the International Cricket Council (ICC) relocated their schedules to neutral Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh also wanted to move its matches out of India on the grounds that it feared for security but the ICC unanimously turned it down and brought Scotland in its place.
Sri Lanka has stood neutral through these disputes. Cricket Secretary Bandula Dissanayake said that Colombo did not want to get drawn into regional quarrels but emphasised that all the three countries are on friendly with Sri Lanka. He further added that Sri Lanka would be happy to host future tournaments for any of the countries if requested.
The T20 World Cup is also helping Sri Lanka to upgrade its cricket infrastructure. The Singhalese Sports Club in Colombo has received new floodlights, and the Pallekele Stadium in Kandy, which was spared from being affected by a November cyclone, will stage a T20 international match between Sri Lanka and England
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