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Pakistan captain Waqar Younis Thursday said the suicide bomb attack has ruined his team's excellent performance and halted the progress it was making.

"It is a shame what happened Wednesday. I feel sorry for everyone who was affected by the terrible events. But as far as cricket is concerned, our achievement has gone in the background," the skipper said from Lahore.

Pakistan were odds-on favourites to wrap up the second Test well inside five days after they destroyed New Zealand in three days to win the first Test by a record an innings and 324 runs. Pakistan also swept the three-match one-day series. But with the Test series restricted to just one Test, it will not be officially recognized as a series. According to ICC ruling, two or more Tests constitutes a series.

That implies that Pakistan was denied an opportunity to narrow the gap with the West Indies in the ICC Test Championship table. Pakistan are lying seventh while the West Indies are sixth.

Pakistan also defeated Bangladesh and the West Indies before clinching the Sharjah Cup to maintain an unbeaten run this year.

"All our hardwork in the series and preparations for the second Test went out of the window. It has also abruptly halted the improvements we were making as a team. "Naturally the stoppage is temporarily but the momentum is broken. I think we would have been a different team had we played the second Test which I am confident we would have won with ease. "But we all are professionals and will lift ourselves, realize the tasks ahead and get down to business by forgetting whatever happened though it will be difficult," he said.

Waqar admitted this players were still in a state of shock. "I have talked to some boys but they are not talking cricket. The subject remains the bomb blast. "I am also affected but you see life has to move on. The sooner we get out of this hang-over, the better for us. The boys need to get mentally fit as soon as possible because in cricket you need to be focused and tension-free to perform and excel," he said.

The fast bowler said had he been in New Zealand's place, he would have followed the advice and instructions of his board. "The boys have complete faith in the PCB. If we had been told to carry on, we would have without slightest of resistance of objection." Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Mudassar Nazar also left for England on Wednesday.

REUTERS ADDS: The PCB sought the support of the ICC and its member countries on Thursday to ensure that Pakistan is not isolated as an international venue.

"I have spoken to the ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed and our viewpoint was that the (ICC) member boards should hold on before giving any policy statements to allow the situation to settle down," PCB director Brig Munawar Rana said.

"We ourselves are upset by this incident," said Rana. "We can now only regroup and hope for the best. But we need the support of the ICC and member nations in this regard." "... we realise the incident has put Pakistan cricket back and could have negative effects in the future, and this is why we want the ICC and member nations to hold on and wait for things to settle down and allow us to regroup."

© Dawn