Sri Lankan players involved in security breach - reports

Seven Sri Lankan cricketers, including Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan, have been reportedly involved in a security breach ahead of the fourth ODI against India in Kolkata. The players had the Kolkata Police worried after they went for a late night-out without any security cover on Tuesday.

They left around 11 pm last night, and while some of them returned soon, Jayasuriya and Dilshan were reportedly partying at a bar till 2 am, without informing the police.

"It's a security lapse, not from our behalf but from theirs [Sri Lanka]," city police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty told PTI. "We have told the Sri Lankan team members clearly that they cannot move out of the hotel. Despite that they have gone out getting clearance from their manager (Brendon Kuruppu). We cannot stop them physically.

"We have informed the CAB president [Jagmohan Dalmiya] and both the teams have been instructed that it's not repeated again. We are in a little uncomfortable situation now. We have to strengthen our arrangements now to plug the loopholes to ensure the security is foolproof."

However, the Sri Lankan team management have denied the claims.

The seriousness of the issue is highlighted by the fact that Sri Lanka have faced security threats before. Masked terrorists attacked the team bus carrying Sri Lanka's cricketers to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in March this year. Five cricketers, including Mahela Jayawardene, the captain, and Kumar Sangakkara, his deputy, received minor injuries. Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paravitarana were also injured in the attack which killed six security men and two civilians.