It is always the worst way to find out how good or bad the security is. Simon Taufel, the international umpire from Australia, were in the midst of the action at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. What he saw left him seething.
taufel helen
Simon Taufel, officiating in the Test series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, found himself surrounded by blazing gun fire and to his chagrin, none willing to defend them in their hour of need.
The anger was palpable in his voice, on his face as he addressed mediapersons. He alleged that they were literally "left to die" and that not a single policeman came forward. He was furious that the umpires have been provided with less than adequate security and in his opinion, given less security than the players themselves.
He fumed, "The gunfire ... it just kept going. We thought, when's it going to stop? Who's going to come and save us, how are we going to get out of here? On Tuesday morning we were caught in a war ... It's just a bloody game of cricket, not a war. It's not the way the way life should be or sport should be."
He add with a fair warning, "It's a sad time for cricket, particularly, because it has a lot of ramifications about how we play the game in the future, how players are treated, hopefully how match officials are treated in the future."
He was only echoing the comments expressed by fellow Australian umpire Steve Davies as also match referee Chris Broad who alleged that of the twenty commandos at their service, none was present when the attack eventually subsided.
Pic Above: Taufel is greeted by wife Helen and sons, Jack and Harry, on his arrival in Sydney from Pakistan.
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