Sri Lanka could cancel tour
2004-12-27 09:12
Auckland - Sri Lanka's cricket team could cut short their tour of New Zealand and return home following the devastating tidal waves which killed more than 4 300 people in their home country, officials said on Monday.
"We are really worried, but we need to speak to the guys and see how we take it (the tour) from here," team manager Brendan Kuruppu said.
"It's a disaster in Sri Lanka, we're in shock and having a nightmare," he said.
Kuruppu told the New Zealand Press Association that the team management would meet later in the day with the players and consult with their national board to decide whether the New Zealand tour continues.
The team will fly as scheduled from Auckland to Napier around midday and then discuss the future of the tour, said Kuruppu, who would not speculate on the likelihood of the team returning home.
Sri Lanka suffered a seven wicket loss to New Zealand in their first one-day international in Auckland on Sunday. The team is scheduled to meet New Zealand for the second one-day international at Napier's McLean Park on Wednesday.
Kuruppu said one player's mother was among those injured in Sunday's tidal waves, which left some 250 000 homeless in Sri Lanka and killed more than 14 000 people across south and southeast Asia.
But nearly everyone on the team had been able to contact with their families, which has eased their minds, he said.
Sri Lanka are scheduled to play fine one-day international matches and two Tests against New Zealand between now and the end of January.