COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has turned down an offer to tour Pakistan because of security concerns, the Sri Lankan cricket board told Reuters on Tuesday. 

“We have refused to tour Pakistan,” a Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) spokesman said by telephone. “We are concerned about the security and that's why we said no to them.”   

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had been hopeful of coaxing the Sri Lankans into touring the country but Sunday's terrorist attack on a naval air force base near Karachi's National Stadium dealt a severe blow to the prospects.

Pakistan has not hosted international cricket since the Sri Lankan team visited the country in 2009 when gunmen attacked their team bus in Lahore, killing seven people.   

The PCB recently made another attempt to convince the Sri Lankans to tour Pakistan.

“Yes we have sent them a fresh invite to play the series of three tests, five one-day internationals and one T20 match in Pakistan in October-November,” PCB official Nadem Sarwar told Reuters on Saturday.          

“We are waiting for their response and we have given them full security assurances,” he said.