Cricketers rushed to hospital upon arriving home

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COLOMBO - Sri Lanka's wounded and shaken cricketers flew home to Colombo on Wednesday and were rushed straight to a local hospital, a day after being attacked in a deadly ambush in Pakistan, officials said.

There were emotional scenes as relieved relatives welcomed home the 25-member tour party, who were led from a specially chartered Sri Lankan Airlines jet by team manager Brendon Kuruppu.

Star batsmen Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavithana, who both received hospital treatment in Pakistan, were among the first to be brought out and taken to a private medical facility in Colombo, a senior official said.

"Both of them may need further treatment and surgery," said Geethanjana Mendis, a sports medicine specialist who was at the airport to receive the team. The extent of their wounds was not immediately clear.

Mendis said the entire team needed medical evaluation while some members would require further treatment for their injuries.

Spin bowler Ajantha Mendis was seen leaving the aircraft with a plaster behind his right ear.

A total of seven players and an assistant coach were hurt in the attack, which left eight people dead.

Vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara, who was also wounded in Tuesday's gun and grenade assault, told reporters that they had been asked by team management not to speak to the media.

Before leaving Pakistan, skipper Mahela Jayawardene extended his gratitude to the driver of the team bus for possibly saving their lives.

"We owe the team bus driver our lives for his remarkable bravery in the face of direct gunfire," he said in a statement.

"Had he not had the courage and presence of mind to get the bus moving after the initial attack then we'd have been a far easier target for the terrorists."

Jayawardene passed on the team's "deepest and heartfelt condolences" to the families of the people who were killed in the attack.

Sri Lanka agreed to go to Pakistan despite high security risks. They replaced India who refused to tour the nuclear-armed Muslim nation over heightened tension in the wake of attacks in Mumbai in November.

Sri Lanka won a three-match one-day series 2-1 last month - a tour that went off without mishap.

They then returned to play the two-Test series last month and drew the first Test in Karachi last week - Pakistan's first Test match in 14 months.

Team Manager Kuruppu said they had never before faced any security problems in Pakistan.

"We were getting good security and there were no problems but these incidents were highly condemnable and our players are left shocked.

"Cricket takes a back seat when such incidents happen," he said.

Assistant coach Paul Farbrace told the BBC that they feared for their lives.

There was a lot of shouting and people hitting the floor and when I got to the floor I realised that the blood that I could see was coming from me - luckily superficial wounds," Farbrace said.

"You're just praying that one of the bullets doesn't hit you and somehow you get out of it.

"At one point when the bus was stopped I heard a lot of shouting for the driver to move the bus. At that point you realise you're a sitting duck and anything can happen around you," he added.

Sri Lanka's Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge received the team at the Bandaranaike International Airport, where security was tight.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, but some Sri Lankan officials feared a possible link with the military offensive against ethnic Tamil rebels in the island's north.

The Sri Lankan team was airlifted from Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium by helicopter after the attack before flying out late Tuesday.

President Mahinda Rajapakse sent a chartered jet to bring the team home immediately after they abandoned the second Test and the rest of their tour.

AFP

Sri Lankan team air-lifted from Gaddafi Stadium

Colombo, March 03: Sri Lankan cricket team, which was attacked by unidentified gunmen in Lahore this morning, was air-lifted from the Gaddafi Stadium to the international airport from where they would be flown out of the country as soon as possible.

The shocked Sri Lankan cricket team would be flown out by a special plane to Colombo.

Such an emergency measure was expected after the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajpaksa had made it clear that the players would be brought back to the homeland as soon as possible to ensure their safety and security.


"I condemn this cowardly terrorist attack targeting the Sri Lankan cricket team," Rajapaksa said in a message sent from Nepal, where he is on an official visit- he has now cut short his visit and would be heading back to Colombo.

"The Sri Lankan players had gone to Pakistan as ambassadors of goodwill," he said in the statement released by his office.

Acting Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka Hussein Bhaila, while condemning the dastardly attack on sportspersons, said that, “We are not pointing any fingers at anyone, but are concerned about well being and security of players,” adding “Terrorism does not know boundaries”.

Bhaila also confirmed that two players, Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Thushara were hospitalised and the Sri Lankan High Commissioner is rushing to Lahore to take stock of the situation.

Divulging the details, he said that Thilan Samaraweera, who was in great form, was hit in the thigh, while a bullet grazed the chest of another player that was treated in the hospital. Also, six others suffered from cut injuries and were treated in the Gaddafi Stadium itself.

On the future course of action, Bhaila said, “We have to look at conditions, investigations before we take any decision about future tours”. He, however, defended the sending of the team to Pakistan, he said, “We had been given full security and sending the team to tour Pakistan was a joint decision of sports and foreign ministries.” He also reflected that it was about time the international community joined hands to combat the terror menace. The immediate measure also gives credence to the reports that the situation in Lahore is still not under control and that the encounter is still going on between the armed forces and the terrorists.

The terrorists who are thought to be 12 in number, had fled the scene of crime after a brief exchange of fire and efforts to trace them have proved futile despite assurances from the Pak establishment.

There are also reports that two car bombs have been diffused and a huge cache of arms has been recovered from the vicinity of Pakistan’s biggest cricket stadium.

Earlier, The Sri Lankan Sports Minister, Lokuke Gamini, confirmed that six players were injured. The injured players are: Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Thushara. Also, Ehsaan Raza, the fourth umpire of the match, who was in the team bus is said to be critical.

tribout to teem

Gunmen have attacked a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team on its way to play in the Pakistani city of Lahore.

At least five Pakistani policemen escorting the team bus were killed, while at least five cricketers, and their assistant
coach, were injured.


Pakistani officials said about 12 gunmen were involved and grenades and rocket launchers have been recovered.

Officials said the incident bore the hallmarks of deadly attacks in Mumbai in India last November.
The Mumbai attacks were blamed on Pakistan-based Islamic militants.

Commentators say the incident will come as a big blow to Pakistani cricket - already suffering from serious security
concerns - and may put an end to international cricket in the country in the short term.

Pakistan had invited Sri Lanka to tour after India's cricket team pulled out of a scheduled cricket tour following the
Mumbai attacks.

Match cancelled

The gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan team bus which was in the heart of Lahore on its way to the Gaddafi stadium,
venue for a Test match between the two sides.

Witnesses reported an intense burst of heavy gunfire and explosions, as the gunmen first aimed for the police detail
accompanying the team, before attacking the team coach.
At least five policemen were killed.

Officials in Lahore said two members of the Sri Lankan team - Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana - were sent to
hospital. At least another four received minor wounds, including assistant coach Paul Farbrace.

"The players are shocked. They have never gone through anything like this before," former Sri Lankan player Sanath
Jayasuriya told an Indian news channel on the phone from Colombo.

A Pakistani air force helicopter has now evacuated members of the Sri Lankan team from Gaddafi Stadium, after Sri Lankan
President Mahinda Rajapakse condemned the "cowardly terrorist attack" and ordered the players' immediate evacuation.



Thilan Samaraweera, left, and Tharanga Paranavitana went to hospital
The third day of play in the Second Test was scheduled to begin, but officials said the match has now been cancelled.
TV pictures showed two gunmen with backpacks on the road where the incident happened.

According to Lahore police chief Habibur Rahman, "10 to 12" attackers came to the scene in auto rickshaws.

Grenades and rocket launchers were found at the site of the incident,

Sri Lanka national cricket team

The Sri Lankan cricket team is a national cricket team representing Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1975, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test playing nation. The Sri Lankan team transformed themselves from underdog status to a major cricketing nation during the 1990s. The team went on to win the 1996 Cricket World Cup, beating Australia in the finals, and becoming World Champions. Since then, the team has continued to be a major force in international cricket. The Sri Lanka team did well to reach the finals of the 2007 Cricket World Cup but lost to Australia in a rain-affected match. The batting of Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva (retired), backed up by the bowling of Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas, among many other talented cricketers, has underpinned the successes of Sri Lankan cricket during the last 15 years. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket.



As of October 2007, the Sri Lankan team has played 170 Test matches, winning 29.41%, losing 37.05% and drawing 33.52% of its games.[1] Sri Lanka hold the current records for the highest total score in all three main formats of the game.

Early developments

The earliest definite mention of cricket in Ceylon was a report in the Colombo Journal on 5 September 1832 which called for the formation of a cricket club. The Colombo Cricket Club was formed soon afterwards and matches began in November 1832 when it played against the 97th Regiment.


In October 1882, Ivo Bligh's team played an odds game in Colombo en route to Australia, where they famously "recovered those Ashes". In 1888-89, an English team led by George Vernon toured Ceylon and India, including an 11-a-side game against All-Ceylon at Kandy. In 1890, the Australian team en route to England played in Colombo.

First-class cricket in Ceylon became restricted to games against visiting touring teams, notably the English and Australian teams who used Ceylon as a stopover on the long voyage to each other's country. Douglas Jardine's infamous "bodyline team" was there in 1932-33. Occasionally, teams representative of Ceylon played matches abroad, especially in India.

From 1953-4 until 1975-6, the Ceylon Cricket Association played a first-class match against Madras (latterly renamed Tamil Nadu) for the Gopalan Trophy. This fixture was played in Colombo roughly every two years, with one further fixture in 1982-3, alternating with the fixture being held in Madras.


Early years
Ceylon, as the country was known before 1972, played its first first-class match under that name against MCC at Nomads Ground, Victoria Park, Colombo in 1926-27, losing by an innings. [4] The team's first win came against Patiala at Dhruve Pandove Stadium in 1932-33. [5] The Ceylonese side competed in the M. J. Gopalan Trophy games from the 1950s, through the change of name to Sri Lanka, well into the 1970s

Test status and beyond

Gained Test Status in 1981 and first played a Test Match in 1982
Won the 1996 Cricket World Cup hosted by India, Sri Lanka & Pakistan
Semi Finalists in the 2003 Cricket World Cup hosted by South Africa
Runners up of the 2007 World Cup hosted by the West Indies
Sri Lankan cricket's greatest moment undoubtedly came during the aforementioned 1996 World Cup, when they defeated the top-ranked Australian team in the Final. Sri Lanka's game style over the course of the series revolutionized One Day International Cricket, and was characterized by highly aggressive batting in the first fifteen overs of the innings in order to take advantage of the fielding restrictions imposed during this period. This strategy has since become a hallmark of One Day International cricket.




Sri Lankan cricket supporters were once again thrilled by the team's tremendous performance at the NatWest Series in 2006. Although as a whole the team missed its captain, Marvan Atapattu, and also Muttiah Muralitharan, nevertheless Sanath, together with Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Russel Arnold, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando and Farveez Maharoof played some fantastic innings.

Sri Lanka's performance during the 5-0 whitewash, England's heaviest home defeat in 13 years, was, some sloppy fielding in a couple of games aside, consistently excellent. Sanath Jayasuriya was both the Man of the Match and Man of the Series. They also made the highest score in One Day International Cricket of 443 against The Netherlands in the following series

Governing body

Sri Lanka Cricket, formerly the Board for Cricket Control in Sri Lanka (BCCSL), is the controlling body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It operates the Sri Lankan cricket team and first-class cricket within Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Cricket oversees the progress and handling of the major domestic competitions: the First-class tournament Premier Trophy, the List A tournament Premier Limited Overs Tournament and the Twenty20 competition Twenty20 Tournament. They also organize and host the Inter-Provincial Tournament, a competition where the above first-class do not take part but rather teams represent four different provinces of Sri Lanka.