'Within a minute, we were attacked': Sangakkara recalls terror attack on Sri Lankan team in Lahore

COLOMBO: Former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara has opened up about the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, revealing how the incident changed his perspective on life. Recalling the shocking memories of the day that altered Pakistan’s cricket history, Sangakkara spoke about the moments just before the attack. On March 3, 2009, the Sri Lankan team bus was on its way to Gaddafi Stadium when it came under heavy gunfire from terrorists.

"We were travelling from the hotel to the stadium for the third day of the Test match. A fast bowler sitting in front jojed, 'Bowling on this flat pitch will break my back. If only a bomb exploded, we could go home.' Within a minute of him saying that, we were attacked," Sangakkara said.

The attack left several players injured, including Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, and Thilan Samaraweera. Eight people were killed, and around 20 others were injured in the incident. Sangakkara revealed that he still carries glass fragments in his body as a reminder of the attack.

At the time, the Sri Lankan Civil War was ongoing. Sangakkara said the incident deeply changed his outlook on life. He also recalled a conversation with a soldier in Colombo after the attack.

“When the soldier expressed concern about the Lahore attack, I asked him, ‘Don’t you face this all the time?’ He replied, ‘We come prepared to die for this,’” Sangakkara said.

“We faced an attack that lasted only two minutes, and it became big news. But my country had been going through this for 26 years. We are seen as heroes for playing cricket and earning well, but the real heroes are others,” he added.