Doubts over Sri Lanka Test tour of Pakistan after board chief says he got 'fed up' inside team hotel

SLC president Silva believes strict security arrangements will make it difficult for team to play five-day games

A depleted Sri Lankan team swept the T20 series against Pakistan 3-0. AFP

Sri Lanka Cricket president has put a question mark over the Test tour of Pakistan later in the year, pointing to the difficulties faced while being forced to stay inside the team hotel during their recent limited-overs tour to the country.

SLC chief Shammi Silva said he got "fed up" while indoors due to the strict security arrangements in Pakistan that don't allow visiting teams to roam around freely. Sri Lanka were the first time in a decade to visit the country for a period of two weeks, during which Pakistan won the ODI series and Sri Lanka swept the T20s.

Silva said these factors will be taken into account while deciding whether to tour Pakistan in December for a Test series.

“We have to reassess and see about Test matches,” SLC chief Silva was quoted as saying by Island Cricket.

“Players had to stay inside their hotel. I was there and though I stayed for 3-4 days, I got fed up. We have to think about that and discuss with the players and support staff. We are playing the Test Championship and we want to do well in that too,” said Silva.

The board chief said players do need to go out at some point.

"It was good team bonding when they are staying in the hotel. But they have to go out to do shopping, they have to eat somewhere. They have to go out and see the world. They can’t stay inside the hotel,” added Silva.

One of the issues cited was the time it took to reach the venue from the hotel due to the exhaustive security protocols, which would be difficult to accommodate on successive days of a Test.