Sri Lankan cricketers, who were victims of a terror attack two years ago in Pakistan, are tension-free in Mumbai before their clash against New Zealand on friday
Sri Lankan cricketers, who were victims of a terror attack two years ago in Pakistan, are tension-free in Mumbai before their clash against New Zealand on friday
TWO years ago, the Sri Lankan team bus came under fire from a dozen gunmen, armed with AK-47 and hand grenades, when they were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
|
| The shattered windscreen of the bullet-ridden Sri Lankan team bus that came under fire from armed gunmen fired outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 3, 2009 |
Six players were injured in that attack on March 3, 2009. It was a sad day for international cricket as the tour was abandoned immediately and the cricketers were airlifted from the stadium.
It was the first major terror attack on a national sports team since the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Physical injuries did not take much time to heal, but the mental trauma was difficult to overcome. Some cricketers needed the help of psychologists and meditation.
Anura Tennekoon, manager of the Sri Lankan team at this World Cup, said that the players have long moved on from the incident.
"The players have forgotten it and there is no effect of that anymore. We are totally focused on playing good competitive cricket in the World Cup," Tennekoon told MiD DAY on the sidelines of the team's practice session at the Cricket Club of India yesterday.
Tennekoon, who was Sri Lanka's World Cup captain in 1975, said the players have fully recovered from the trauma. "There are no signs of fear anymore. Nobody even talked about the incident on the second anniversary. They have fully recovered from the trauma," said the 64-year-old.
The 2007 World Cup runners-up will take on New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. Sri Lanka's media manager Brian Thomas was happy with the security cover given to the team. "We are very happy with the security provided. We feel safe," he said.
A Pakistani judicial commission, which investigated the incident, indicated a lapse in security by the Punjab (Sindh) police contingent that was assigned to provide security to the Sri Lankan team and the International Cricket Council (ICC) match officials.
However, action against the police officers is yet to be taken. "We have left it to the Pakistan authorities. It takes time and we are giving them that," Tennekoon said.
