THIS refers to horrific terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques on Friday. The same afternoon the Bangladesh cricket team was approaching the Masjid Al Noor in a bus for Friday prayers enroute to Hagley Oval cricket ground.

This was just like the Sri Lankan cricket team which was proceeding from its hotel in Lahore to the Gaddafi Stadium to play a Test on March 3, 2009, when they were attacked but escaped with injuries only owing to the presence of mind of the bus driver Meher Khalil. The driver raced the bus away from the shooters into the stadium.

In Christchurch, the Bangladesh team cancelled the test after the terrorist attack on their bus and proceeded to the airport to return home.

After the Sri Lanka incident almost 10 years ago, cricket teams did not come to play in Pakistan and lately only a few teams came to play the shorter version of the game, obviously to minimise their stay in Pakistan.

Will New Zealand cricket meet the same fate?

Rafi Ahmed

Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2019