Melbourne: Cricket Australia says it will hold its Sri Lankan counterparts to promises of tight security for its upcoming tour, despite an 80 per cent cut to the series’ security budget.

Australian Associated Press quoted a CA spokesman on Monday saying Australian officials in Sri Lanka on a routine visit last week were assured by Sri Lanka Cricket that security for August’s three-Test series would be similar to that provided for the recent World Cup.

On Sunday, Sri Lanka sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage ordered the tour’s Rs 50-million security budget slashed to just Rs 9 million, saying he was confident the nation could provide “very good security at a fraction of the cost.” (Agencies)