"In the current situation it clearly is a very dangerous place," Morgan told BBC television after the deadly attacks on Sri Lanka's cricket team in the Pakistani city on Tuesday.

Asked about plans for the World Cup, due to be played in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Morgan said: "Things will have to change dramatically in Pakistan in my opinion if any of the games are to be staged there. I think that international cricket in Pakistan is out of the question until there is a very significant change …

"The World Cup was awarded to the four countries in the Indian subcontinent. The allocation of matches between those four countries is yet to be made. Quite clearly, this event puts a great question mark over the ability of Pakistan to host cricket world cup matches."

Already viewed as an unsafe destination by many sports teams, Pakistan now presents a danger to any athlete.

"Whatever doubts other teams had of touring Pakistan, they have been confirmed," Sri Lankan cricket official Charith Senanayake said. "This is the first time cricketers have been targeted by terrorists. It shows that they have no limits or boundaries. I can't see any international team playing cricket there for at least the next 10 years."

The miracle is that no players were killed, considering the high-level planning and ferocity of the masked terrorists who fired at the Sri Lankans outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in an attack in which six policemen died.

Sri Lanka's keeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara said: "I had a few bits of shrapnel pulled out of my shoulder, but that's about it. Everyone's out of danger and very glad to be this lucky."

The ICC has a crisis on its hands, with Pakistan and Zimbabwe virtual no-go zones for any nation, shortening options for a game looking to expand.

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