WATCH | Sri Lanka players escorted back to hotel under heavy security after practice session

Just hours before the start of the second ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday (November 14, 2025), a video surfaced on social media platforms showing the Sri Lankan team returning from a practice session. The footage, though not independently verified by WION, showed the team bus being escorted by a high-security convoy, resembling the kind of protection typically given to heads of state.

This increased security was a response to a deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad on Tuesday (November 11), which claimed 12 lives just ahead of the first one day international between the two teams in Rawalpindi. Following the attack, some Sri Lankan players expressed concerns about their safety and even considered pulling out of the tour. However, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board confirmed that the series would continue and warned players about facing a "formal review" if they withdrew. As a result, the second and third ODIs were rescheduled by one day.

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Watch the viral video here

Pakistan and Sri Lanka are also set to compete in a tri-nation series featuring Zimbabwe, starting next Tuesday (November 18 ), with all seven matches to be held in Rawalpindi. Afghanistan, initially slated to be the third team in the tournament, withdrew following a Pakistani airstrike in Paktika Province that killed three Afghan cricketers and five civilians. It's worth remembering that Sri Lanka had already faced a traumatic experience in 2009 when gunmen attacked their team bus in Lahore, injuring six players while they were en route to a Test match to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium. That attack led to international teams staying away from Pakistan for almost a decade.