Multan: The touring South African cricket team on Wednesday refused to play their fifth and final one-dayer in blast-hit Karachi, forcing the Pakistani authorities to shift the match to Lahore.

“Their decision is very disappointing. They decided not to play in Karachi despite all security assurances given to them by the Pakistan Cricket Board and top security officials,” PCB’s chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said.

“They had sent their security officer to Karachi to inspect everything. He met the top officials and was given all sorts of assurances. Despite this, they have told us that they would like the match to be shifted to any other venue,” he said.

Naghmi said the only possible option for the PCB was to shift the match to Lahore.

“We had no option but to shift the match to Lahore… This is the most viable alternative at the moment owing to last minute changes in logistical details,” he said.

Naghmi said the PCB had no doubt that Karachi was safe enough to host any international event, but was left with no choice than to accept the decision of the South African management.

The South Africans were badly shaken after a suspected suicide bomber attacked the rally of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, killing around 140 people and injuring some 500 more last Friday.

“We think Karachi is a good venue but at this moment our security officer, after discussions with Cricket South Africa (CSA), didn’t feel it proper to let our players travel to Karachi,” said Logan Naidoo, the touring team manager.

“We deeply regret this decision… Especially for the people of Karachi for having deprived them of this opportunity. But unfortunately the members of the South African contingent are not comfortable travelling to Karachi,” Naidoo said.

Karachi has been shunned as an international venue by touring teams in the past for security reasons after the 9/11 incident and since 2002 Australia, West Indies, New Zealand and South Africa had all refused to play there.

PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf, meanwhile, appreciated the South African team’s decision to continue the tour and not abort it.

But the PCB fears that in the near future, other touring teams may again create a security stigma over playing at Karachi, particularly Australia, who are due to tour in February-March next year.

“Once again it will be a difficult situation for us to handle. Specially since Karachi is one of our premier venues and with great difficulty touring teams had resumed playing there,” an official said.