Five minutes from death
Pakistan's cricket team escaped Tuesday's attack because they left their hotel five minutes late, coach Intikhab Alam said.
"We usually leave the hotel early on the first day because of the toss and on the second and third day we leave the hotel a bit late, so captain Younis Khan decided to leave at 8:35 but the Sri Lankan team left five minutes before us," Alam told AFP.
Eight people were killed and seven Sri Lankan cricketers wounded when up to 12 gunmen attacked the squad's convoy near the Gaddafi stadium with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons, police said.
The ongoing second Test between the two teams was abandoned as the Sri Lankan team were evacuated from the stadium in Pakistan Air Force helicopters. They were due to fly to Sri Lanka in a specially chartered plane later Tuesday.
Alam said when he and his players arrived near the scene security officials stopped them and advised them to return.
"There were firing at the roundabout and we had to take a U-turn and we returned back to hotel. It is shocking and awful," said Alam, a former national captain.
Current Pakistan captain Younis Khan and some other members of the squad went to the airport to comfort their opponents, he said.
"I asked some of the players to go to the airport and console the Sri Lankan players," said Alam.
Another former captain, Wasim Bari, saluted the Sri Lankans for their support.
"Roshan Mahamana (a former player) and Ranjeet Fernando, who is here as commentator, supported Pakistan in this horrible times and said that the world must support Pakistan.
"We need this support because it would be very easy to leave Pakistan, but the world must not do that."
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