Cricket
'Lahore security inadequate'
2009-03-10 07:05
Sydney - The Sri Lankan cricket team had inadequate security when they were attacked by a group of heavily armed men in Lahore last week, coach Trevor Bayliss said on Tuesday.
Seven Pakistanis -- six policemen and the driver of the bus carrying match officials -- were killed in last Tuesday's attack, while six Sri Lankan players and two team officials were injured.
"In hindsight there just wasn't enough security and .... even the police chief and the security people have actually said there was a lack of security," Bayliss told reporters in Sydney.
Bayliss said security for the first Test in Karachi had been better than for the second Test in Lahore.
"In Karachi we had the small trucks out the front and some behind but we also had a truck either side of us with guys standing up through the roof with a fixed machine gun on either side," he added.
"That wasn't there in Lahore so there was probably a little bit less in Lahore than in Karachi and definitely less than what was seen when we were there for the one-day series a month before."
Australian Bayliss backed umpires Simon Taufel, Steve Davis and match referee Chris Broad, who said they felt they had been abandoned by their security and left to fend for themselves.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has complained to the International Cricket Council (ICC) about Broad's comments, while ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said the umpires probably needed some time to think rationally about the attack.
"They told the truth as they saw it," Bayliss said.
"There's probably a big difference between some of the comments that have been made between some of the people that weren't in that convoy to the ones sitting in the bus."
Bayliss also sounded a warning for future sporting events on the sub-continent, particularly looking ahead to next year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
"There are some big questions to be asked by the governing bodies of all the sports, not just cricket," he said.
"I think this proves if cricket, which is the number one sport basically on the sub-continent, can get hit then any sport can get hit and especially any big sporting tournaments or the Commonwealth Games maybe."