Sri Lanka abandon cricket tour of New Zealand

The Sri Lankan cricket team today abandoned their tour of New Zealand, announcing they will return home to help victims of the tsunami that has devastated their island.

New Zealand Cricket's board has accepted a decision taken by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) this morning (NZT) to postpone the tour, chief executive Martin Snedden said.

"We will now give the Sri Lankan cricket team every assistance to return home as soon as possible," Snedden said in a statement.

"As the magnitude of the recent events in Sri Lanka have unfolded it has become more difficult for the Sri Lankan team to remain in New Zealand and we can understand their decision as the players are expected to play a meaningful role back home with the rest of the people in Sri Lanka."

The two cricket boards will work to reschedule the tour at an appropriate time in the future.

Sri Lanka lost to New Zealand in the first of five one-day internationals at Auckland on Sunday and were due to play two tests in January.

Yesterday's scheduled second one-day game in Napier had already been postponed to allow a five-day period of national mourning after the disaster that has killed more than 22,000 people on the island.

The teams were also to have played tests at Wellington and Hamilton.

The SLC said in a statement today the decision was taken after the board made a request to NZC's board.

"The Sri Lankan cricketers have always stood by the people of this country in good times and bad times," the SLC board's statement said.

"The cancellation of this tour will enable the cricketers to help the board assist victims of the disaster."

Officials have said none of the Sri Lanka players lost family members in the island's worst disaster in living memory but an English newspaper reported the mothers of Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Chandana had been injured.

Under International Cricket Council (ICC) rules, a fine of US$2 million ($2.8m) and suspension from international cricket is the penalty for not fulfilling tour obligations.

However, ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed said the council was comfortable with the decision of both boards to postpone the series.

"The impact of the tsunami on Sri Lanka has been devastating and we fully understand the decision taken by the boards to postpone the series," Speed said in a statement.

"In this situation, where two of our members have agreed to postpone the series, there is no issue of fines or compensation."

- NZPA