A potential diplomatic and sporting crisis was averted after Pakistan’s military chief intervened to save the ongoing Sri Lanka cricket tour in the wake of the Islamabad suicide bombing.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told the Senate that Field Marshal Asim Munir personally reached out to Sri Lanka’s top officials when their players refused to continue after Tuesday’s blast.

"Our field marshal himself spoke to their defence minister, secretary and convinced them and assured them fully of [providing] security," Naqvi, who also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), told lawmakers.

The intervention came after the Sri Lankan team “decided to return after the bomb blast occurred.”

“Our interaction with them began, their board, players and everyone decided with great bravery to stay here,” Naqvi said.

“They had many concerns, but we tried to allay all of those,” he added, noting that Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also spoke directly with his country’s team to convince them.

Naqvi said that unprecedented security had been deployed.

“And now, the Pakistan Army, Rangers and Islamabad police together are managing their security, and we are providing them the same kind of protocol and security as they are our state guests,” he said.

The suicide bombing, which killed 12 people, occurred just before the first ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.

The attack reignited painful memories of 2009, when gunmen ambushed the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, leaving six cricketers injured and eight others dead, including police personnel and civilians.

The PCB has since confirmed that the series will now begin on November 18, with Rawalpindi as the only venue. The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, which was scheduled to host the T20 matches, has been dropped from the itinerary.

Naqvi also confirmed that Zimbabwe’s cricket team has arrived in Pakistan, and the rest of the matches will go ahead under tight security.