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Sri Lanka's&nbsp;cricket&nbsp;legend Kumar Sangakkara&nbsp;has returned to Pakistan for the first time since&nbsp;the 2009 terror attacks in which the Lankan national team was targeted outside the Gaddafi Stadium in&nbsp;Lahore.&nbsp;

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Sangakkara arrives in Lahore with his MCC team | Twitter/@ PCB</h6>

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The former Lankan wicketkeeper-captain will be leading the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) squad who are set to clash with Pakistan Super League's Lahore Qalandars in the first T20 match of the four-match tour.

The MCC will open their tour of Pakistan with a Twenty20 match in Lahore on Friday. The remaining matches of the tour will also be played in the city on February 16, 17 and 19.

The match will take place in the same Gaddafi Stadium, where the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists&nbsp;in 2009 which left eight people dead.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Whole Lankan team using&nbsp;Pak Army helicopter to get airlifted&nbsp;after 2009 attacks | AFP</h6>

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The 42-year-old himself was wounded after he suffered a shrapnel wound&nbsp;to his shoulder.&nbsp;He had a narrow escape after a bullet whistled past his head as the Sri Lankan players lay pinned down on the floor of the team bus.

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Sri Lankan spinner Ajanta Mendis injured&nbsp;during&nbsp;the attack in 2009 | AFP</h6>

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International cricket is only now slowly returning to normal in Pakistan.&nbsp;They hosted Sri Lanka late last year for their first home Test series since the 2009 attack.

According to Sangakkara who is also the president of MCC said that Pakistan is restoring its image as a safe destination for cricket.

After his arrival in Lahore on Thursday, he said: "Security is always a major concern everywhere in the world."

Kumar Sangakkara said: "I think the steps that have been taken in Pakistan over the past few years have instilled a great amount of confidence in the cricketing nations."

"I think slowly and surely that confidence is building up and the more times international sides tour, that message becomes stronger and harder to ignore," he added.&nbsp;

Cricketing great Sangakkara said that playing in Lahore will send out a powerful message.

Sri Lanka's cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara has returned to Pakistan for the first time since the 2009 terror attacks in which the Lankan national team was targeted outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Sri Lanka's cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara has returned to Pakistan for the first time since the 2009 terror attacks in which the Lankan national team was targeted outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Sangakkara arrives in Lahore with his MCC team | Twitter/@ PCB The former Lankan wicketkeeper-captain will be leading the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) squad who are set to clash with Pakistan Super League's Lahore Qalandars in the first T20 match of the four-match tour. The MCC will open their tour of Pakistan with a Twenty20 match in Lahore on Friday. The remaining matches of the tour will also be played in the city on February 16, 17 and 19. The match will take place in the same Gaddafi Stadium, where the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in 2009 which left eight people dead. Whole Lankan team using Pak Army helicopter to get airlifted after 2009 attacks | AFP The 42-year-old himself was wounded after he suffered a shrapnel wound to his shoulder. He had a narrow escape after a bullet whistled past his head as the Sri Lankan players lay pinned down on the floor of the team bus. Sri Lankan spinner Ajanta Mendis injured during the attack in 2009 | AFP International cricket is only now slowly returning to normal in Pakistan. They hosted Sri Lanka late last year for their first home Test series since the 2009 attack. According to Sangakkara who is also the president of MCC said that Pakistan is restoring its image as a safe destination for cricket. After his arrival in Lahore on Thursday, he said: "Security is always a major concern everywhere in the world." Kumar Sangakkara said: "I think the steps that have been taken in Pakistan over the past few years have instilled a great amount of confidence in the cricketing nations." "I think slowly and surely that confidence is building up and the more times international sides tour, that message becomes stronger and harder to ignore," he added. Cricketing great Sangakkara said that playing in Lahore will send out a powerful message.

Kumar Sangakkara visits Lahore for first time after 2009 bus attack on Lankan team

Sri Lanka&#39;s cricket board has approved a tour to Pakistan, eight years after a deadly militant attack against the team brought top international games there to a standstill, officials said Monday.

Sri Lanka Cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala said after a security assessment, the team had been cleared to play three Twenty20 internationals including &quot;at least one&quot; in Lahore, the scene of the 2009 attack which left eight people dead.

Any tour would require government approval before the team is sent abroad.&nbsp;

Leading cricket nations have shunned playing in Pakistan since the 2009 assault, in which gunmen ambushed the Sri Lankan team bus en route to the Lahore stadium, wounding at least seven players.

&quot;We have had our security experts visit and make an assessment, and things look positive with things improving all over the country and especially Lahore being cleared,&quot; Sumathipala was quoted as saying in a statement.

&quot;We have three T20 games coming up against Pakistan in September and we would like to play at least one of those games in Lahore,&quot; he added.

Pakistani cricket officials welcomed the decision, lauding the move on social media.&nbsp;

&quot;Thank you Mr. Thilanga Sumathipala. We look forward to hosting you and the Sri Lankan team,&quot; the Pakistan Cricket Board wrote on Twitter.&nbsp;

Since 2009, the only international team to visit Pakistan is Zimbabwe, who played five limited-overs games in Lahore in 2015. Pakistan play their &quot;home&quot; internationals in the United Arab Emirates.

But there were hopeful signs when Pakistan successfully staged the final of the Pakistan Super League -- the rest of which was played in UAE -- under heavy security in March.

Addressing the Asian Cricket Council in Colombo at the weekend, Sumathipala called for an end to Pakistan&#39;s isolation and urged countries to play there.

He recalled that several Test nations did not want to visit Sri Lanka at the height of the Tamil separatist conflict, when bombs were exploding in the capital in the mid-1990s.

&quot;Sri Lanka suffered through three decades of terrorism and war and at one stage no one wanted to come here -- Pakistan stood by us then, as did India,&quot; Sumathipala said.

Sri Lanka ended its long-running ethnic war in May 2009 when the top Tamil rebel leadership was wiped out in a military offensive that sparked allegations that 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed by troops.

The Sri Lankan board statement also quoted Pakistan Cricket Board chief Najam Sethi saying they had set up state-of-the-art security and surveillance to make their cities safe.

Leading cricket nations have shunned playing in Pakistan since the 2009 assault in which gunmen ambushed the Sri Lankan team bus en route to the Lahore stadium, wounding at least seven players

Sri Lanka's cricket board has approved a tour to Pakistan, eight years after a deadly militant attack against the team brought top international games there to a standstill, officials said Monday. Sri Lanka Cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala said after a security assessment, the team had been cleared to play three Twenty20 internationals including "at least one" in Lahore, the scene of the 2009 attack which left eight people dead. Any tour would require government approval before the team is sent abroad. Leading cricket nations have shunned playing in Pakistan since the 2009 assault, in which gunmen ambushed the Sri Lankan team bus en route to the Lahore stadium, wounding at least seven players. "We have had our security experts visit and make an assessment, and things look positive with things improving all over the country and especially Lahore being cleared," Sumathipala was quoted as saying in a statement. "We have three T20 games coming up against Pakistan in September and we would like to play at least one of those games in Lahore," he added. Pakistani cricket officials welcomed the decision, lauding the move on social media. "Thank you Mr. Thilanga Sumathipala. We look forward to hosting you and the Sri Lankan team," the Pakistan Cricket Board wrote on Twitter. Since 2009, the only international team to visit Pakistan is Zimbabwe, who played five limited-overs games in Lahore in 2015. Pakistan play their "home" internationals in the United Arab Emirates. But there were hopeful signs when Pakistan successfully staged the final of the Pakistan Super League -- the rest of which was played in UAE -- under heavy security in March. Addressing the Asian Cricket Council in Colombo at the weekend, Sumathipala called for an end to Pakistan's isolation and urged countries to play there. He recalled that several Test nations did not want to visit Sri Lanka at the height of the Tamil separatist conflict, when bombs were exploding in the capital in the mid-1990s. "Sri Lanka suffered through three decades of terrorism and war and at one stage no one wanted to come here -- Pakistan stood by us then, as did India," Sumathipala said. Sri Lanka ended its long-running ethnic war in May 2009 when the top Tamil rebel leadership was wiped out in a military offensive that sparked allegations that 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed by troops. The Sri Lankan board statement also quoted Pakistan Cricket Board chief Najam Sethi saying they had set up state-of-the-art security and surveillance to make their cities safe.

Cricket: Sri Lanka board clears first Pakistan tour since 2009 attack