West Indies are not the only ones to have abandoned a cricket tour

London: Friday's dramatic announcement that the West Indies' tour of India was being cut short because of a pay dispute involving their players was not the first time a major international cricket series had come to an unexpected end.

Below AFP Sport looks back at several other tours that ended abruptly in unusual circumstances.

West Indies in England 1939:

The outbreak of the Second World War saw the last seven matches of the tour cancelled, with the West Indies' party boarding a boat in Scotland to sail back to the Caribbean.

England in Pakistan 1968/69:

Political and student unrest dogged the tour throughout but it seemed the series would be played out to a finish when the teams arrived in Karachi for the third and final Test. However, a riot on the third morning saw the match abandoned and the series tied at 0-0 when England's Alan Knott was 96 not out -- four short of what would have been his maiden Test century.

India in Pakistan 1984/85:

The assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sparked 13 days of national mourning and saw the final three matches cancelled.

Sri Lanka in Pakistan 2008/09:

Sri Lanka were travelling in their team bus on the way to the second Test in Lahore when terrorists opened fire, injuring six members of the Lankan tour party. Sri Lanka went home and no major international matches have since taken place in Pakistan because of security fears.

West Indies in India 2014:

A protracted pay dispute between the West Indies players and their own board eventually saw Indian officials announce the end of the tour after Friday's fourth one-day international amid suggestions from their Caribbean counterparts it might still continue.