By P. Karunakharan, IANS,
Colombo : At least six Sri Lankan cricketers were wounded in Pakistan’s Lahore city Tuesday when gunmen attacked the team travelling to the Gaddafi stadium for the ongoing Test, Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said. Sri Lanka has cancelled the Test series.
“Six of our players were wounded during the shooting incident targeting the Test team travelling to the match venue at Lahore. We are very concerned about the incident,” Lokuge said.
The minister said the players, other than Thilan Samaraweera and the team’s assistant coach, had been discharged from the hospital after being treated for their injuries.
Father of the outgoing team skipper Mahela Jayawardene said his son had just called his wife from Lahore to say that he too had suffered minor injuries in his leg during the attack that had shocked the nation.
Five policemen escorting the team bus were killed in the attack that took place as the team was travelling to the Lahore venue to resume the third day’s play of the second and last Test match.
CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Duleep Mendis told IANS that double-centurion Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranawitharana were among the wounded in the Lahore shootout Tuesday morning when they were entering the match venue.
“The latest reports we have received say that three other players have also sustained injuries,” Mendis said, adding that the second Test with Pakistan had been abandoned.