The British assistant coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team said he was "very lucky" to be alive today after being injured in a bloody attack which killed at least six police officers in Pakistan.Former Kent and Middlesex cricketer Paul Farbrace suffered minor injuries when about a dozen masked gunmen armed with rifles and rocket-launchers attacked the team bus near Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
At least six police officers and one civilian were killed in the attack, which also injured seven members of the Sri Lankan team.
Farbrace told BBC Radio Five Live: "People have talked about grenades, rocket-launchers and all sorts but I have to say I wasn't aware of too much because I was lying on the floor of the coach and just hoping to God I wasn't going to be struck.
"We all got off the coach, thankfully, because of our driver, who we have just met again and thanked him profusely for his unbelievable efforts to get us out of there - we were very lucky that he was able to get us out of the situation."
Footage of the attack showed two gunmen moving at speed, wearing dark clothing and carrying rucksacks.
Farbrace told Sky News that, with hindsight, it was easy to say that the team should not have travelled to Pakistan but security around the squad had appeared to be "very good".
He said the attack happened as the team coach approached a roundabout near the Gaddafi Stadium ahead of the third day's play in the Second Test.
"It's easy to look back and say maybe we shouldn't have gone," he said.
"But ultimately it is our third visit and the previous two have passed off without any incident.
"I'm sure (the Sri Lankan authorities) wouldn't have sent us here if they didn't believe we would be safe and looked after. I can't believe for one minute anybody would send the cricket team somewhere if there was any doubt in their mind."
Earlier, Farbrace's wife, Liz, said she was "very relieved" after the assistant coach rang to reassure his family about his safety.
She revealed that he did not seem too shaken when she spoke to him.
"It's a terrible situation and very distressing that something like this has happened," she told BBC Radio Five Live.
"I'm very relieved. It's nice to know they have minor injuries but obviously your thoughts go to the families that have lost people."
Former England cricketer Dominic Cork, who was also caught up in the attacks, called for international cricket to boycott Pakistan.
Cork, who was working as a commentator for Pakistan TV, made it to the stadium afterwards and managed to speak to wounded Sri Lankan players and officials.
"I don't think international cricket should return to this country," he told Sky News.
"I won't be coming back here while I'm still living, there is no chance."
Eyewitness Ahmad Hassan told BBC Breakfast that "bullets were flying in all directions" during the attack.
He said: "We were trying to save our lives. It wasn't just one direction, the bullets were being fired very rapidly."
Two Sri Lankan players - Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana - were treated for injuries in hospital but were stable.
Team captain Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Suranka Lakmal and Chaminda Vaas had minor injuries, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board said.
Sri Lanka's military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the authorities do not believe the attack was carried out by Tamil Tiger rebels who want to create an independent Tamil state in the north of Sri Lanka.
The team waited in the stadium's changing rooms until a Pakistani army helicopter arrived to evacuate them.
Cork, who played 37 Tests for England and enjoyed spells with Derbyshire and Hampshire, said English umpire Chris Broad, father of England bowler Stuart Broad, was spattered with blood during the attack.
England, who returned home from India before returning following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in December, sent their condolences and said the ECB was "shocked and saddened by the senseless attack".
The Foreign Office said it strongly condemned the attacks and Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Andy Burnham said today was "a grim day for sport".
"The attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team is shocking and senseless, and today is a grim day for sport.
"The game of cricket brings players, spectators and nations together in a common, peaceful purpose, and this appalling attack is a grotesque violation of that."
After the attack, the authorities immediately cancelled the Test match and the Lahore governor said the team was flying home.
Sri Lanka's President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, condemned the attack, which he described as cowardly.
Security concerns have plagued Pakistan for years and some foreign sports teams have refused to play there.
The attack is likely to mean the end of international cricket in Pakistan for months, if not years. Even before, most teams refused to tour the country because of security concerns.
It will also have implications for the game's future in South Asia, its most lucrative market.
International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat told Times Now that plans for the 2011 World Cup would be reviewed urgently as Pakistan was due to stage 14 games in the event as co-hosts alongside India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
One of the semi-finals was slated for the Gaddafi Stadium.
Sajjad Karim, the Conservative MEP who was in the lobby of the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai when gunmen attacked in November, said "serious questions" needed to be asked of the Pakistani intelligence services.
Mr Karim, who is chairman of the European Parliament Friends of Pakistan Group, said: "The Mumbai attacks highlighted a failure of intelligence.
"A similar attack so soon after the last must surely raise questions about the state of Pakistan's intelligence network.
"This attack must have been planned, and President Zardari must summon the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence - Pakistan's secret service - to demand a full breakdown of events.
"Terrorists must not be allowed to turn Pakistan into a no-go area for foreigners, but ultimately only Pakistan itself can deal with this problem."
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