Sri Lankan team arrive home
Sri Lanka's cricketers escaped serious injury in Lahore yesterday
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Wednesday, 04, Mar 2009 11:02
The Sri Lankan cricket squad has arrived back in Colombo following yesterday's shocking terrorist attack on their team bus in Pakistan.
The players and coaching staff flew into Bandaranaika International Airport after being airlifted to safety following the tragic scenes in Lahore, when eight members of the touring party were injured by a series of gunshots.
Seven people - six policeman defending the team and a driver - were killed in the ambush, which happened as the bus approached the Gaddafi Stadium ahead of the scheduled third day's play in the second Test.
The match has been abandoned, with Pakistan's eligibility to host future international cricket tours now in severe doubt.
The cricketers who were injured in the attack included captain Mahela Jayawardene as well as star men Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas.
Ajantha Mendis, Tharanga Paranavitana, Suranga Lakmal and British assistant coach Paul Farbrace were also hit by shrapnel but returned to Sri Lanka in relatively good health after receiving treatment in a Pakistani hospital.
Meanwhile, the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations' (FICA) has condemned the attack as a "significant blow to cricket within Pakistan".
Chief executive Tim May said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with not only the Sri Lankan players, officials and security personnel that were subjected to such an attack, but also to the cricket loving people of Pakistan."
He also hinted that the incident could lead to more stringent security investigations ahead of future international tours in what he called "high risk countries".
"We owe to it the game and all of its stakeholders to ensure that at all times cricket has not only access to, but implements 'best practice' security," he continued.
"We should leave no stone unturned in the search and implementation of such advice and procedures."
The new measures could also affect the Indian Premier League, despite it being a domestic competition, because of the involvement of so many high-profile international stars.
"We have written to the Indian Premier League on behalf of our members requesting an ability for player representatives to be involved in the evaluation and construction of security for the event," May added.
"An increasing number of players have expressed a desire for an independent level of comfort surrounding security arrangements for this event."