Pak-Sri Lanka ODI: Karachi's first match in 10 years washed out

Incessant rain washed out the first day-night ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Friday—the first in Karachi for 10 years.

There were large puddles in the outfield even as the pitch and the adjoining areas remained covered throughout the day. Even when the rain did relent, the umpires could not walk on to the pitch to inspect. Both the teams remained inside their dressing rooms. The match was finally called off just before 4.30pm local time.

With more rain forecast over the weekend and the ground heavily water-logged, the second ODI on Sunday, too, at the same venue seems to be in danger of being washed out or curtailed at the best.

Interestingly, no match has been abandoned in Karachi because of rain. Three matches had been called off in the past but it was because of crowd trouble.

Karachi has not hosted an ODI since January 2009 when Sri Lanka played two back-to-back matches at the National Stadium.

But in March that year, during the same tour, the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked in Lahore, forcing the suspension of international cricket in Pakistan.

Pakistan, forced to play home matches in the neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates, convinced Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to send their team, assuring them of stringent security with 2,000 personnel guarding the teams around the hotel and stadium.

Ten top Sri Lankan players, including their ODI captain Dimuth Karunaratne and former captains Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, withdrew from the tour.

The tour was stalled after SLC received threats of possible terror attacks on their team in Pakistan before getting the all-clear last week.

The last ODI is on October 2. Sri Lanka will also play three T20Is in Lahore on October 5, 7 and 9.

(With PTI inputs)