The bomb exploded near the Sheraton hotel, where England are due to spend two nights in December © Getty Images

Shahryar Khan, the PCB chairman, has insisted England's tour must go on despite a car bomb exploding in Karachi, killing three and injuring 15 people, near to where the team are due to stay for the one-day international on December 15.

Speaking about the match due for Karachi, Shahrayar said: "It is my hope that it will go ahead as planned. It is still one month away, and I assure the England team, that had they been in Karachi now, it would not have been possible to penetrate the cordon of security around them.

"Unfortunately, this is a part of a global phenomenon, and not particular to Karachi. When the dust has settled, we will see why, who and what objective was being attempted."

Shahrayar concluded by praising the support and welcome that the England team had received in Multan. "We have been greatly heartened by what we have seen. It has been a wonderful support and a sporting support. We want the rest of the series to be played in the same spirit."

Meanwhile, the Professional Cricketers Association chief executive, Richard Bevan is not jumping to any conclusions. "They [the players] know there is a high-quality, professional team working on security on their behalf and everything has gone according to plan to date. The Karachi match isn't until December 15 and should we have a problem, the professionals will be advising us in the next couple of days and we can take it from there."