The Sri Lankan cricket team was touring Pakistan in January and February 2009. The series was the first Test tour of Pakistan since South Africa visited in October 2007.[1] The tour was arranged as a replacement for the scheduled tour of India which was cancelled by BCCI following 2008 Mumbai attacks.[2] The tour included 3 ODIs and 2 Tests.
The safety of touring cricket teams in Pakistan had long been in issue. In May 2002, New Zealand abandoned their Test series in Pakistan after a suicide bomb attack outside their hotel.[3]Australia had recently refused to tour on safety grounds.[4] In order to persuade the Sri Lankan team to visit, the Pakistan government offered to arrange "presidential-style security.",[5] which they failed to provide, during the Second Test at Lahore, the Sri Lankan team were attacked by masked gunmen in a terror attack. Six members of the teams' security detail and two other civilians were killed. No cricketers were killed but five were listed as injured including Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, and his deputy Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana.[6]
This was the final tour of a visiting team in Pakistan until Zimbabwe toured in 2015.
For the first time in history, both captains hit innings of 200 or more in the same Test.[7]
This is only the second Test in history to see three batsmen hit double centuries.[8] The other double century in the match was by Sri Lankan Thilan Samaraweera.
