Cricket seems to be the latest target of the terrorists, who seem to be on a spree to spread fear and death. The latest is the Sri Lankan cricket team that was attacked on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to proceed with the second Test match of their tour.
Day 3 of the second Test match of Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan…the Sri Lankan team was on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to proceed with the match. The first Test had been drawn and in the second, Sri Lanka had posted a mammoth 606 in their first innings.
At around 9 am, 12 masked gunmen who had come in a rickshaw, as per the witnesses, opened fire at the bus that was carrying the Sri Lankan players to the venue - the Gaddafi Stadium. As the captain Jayawardene said, all the players dived to the floor of the bus to escape the bullets and sharpnels from the enemies of humanity. Few escaped unhurt while six players along with Pakistani umpire Ahsan Raza had to be admitted to the hospital after receiving minor injuries. Umpire Raza was hit with a sharpnel in the stomach and was taken to the hospital in a critical state.
Television reports and videos state it as an attack similar to the one in Mumbai on 26th November 2008 where Ajmal Kasab and Co. took The Taj and The Trident Oberoi as hostage and killed at will to make the entire nation bleed, and bleed profusely.
India’s tour to Pakistan was cancelled after the deadly attacks which saw over 150 people lose their lives. Pakistan, however, was adamant on organizing a cricket event. Sri Lanka gave in to their persuasion and agreed to tour the terror tainted country as ambassadors of humanity. No one knew they would be the target a couple of weeks later.
Why would an entity in flesh and blood target ambassadors of the game who agreed to visit the cricket-deprived country after almost all the Test playing nations had refused to play on Pakistani soil, now we know for good. Nothing can be more shameful than that.
The attack left Kumara Sangakkara, Thilan Thushara, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis and Chaminda Vaas injured.
The question here is, or let me say, the derivation out of the entire episode is that no country will ever think of visiting a nation where even the ambassadors of the gentleman’s game are not spared. Not even if the President or the top managers of the Pakistan Cricket Board personally persuade and request.
Not only this. The ICC is almost certain to deprive the sub continent of the World Cup 2011. Some good news for the coward terrorists, undoubtedly.
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