Sri Lanka assistant thankful to be alive

Sri Lanka's British assistant coach Paul Farbrace said he was thankful to be alive after five policemen and a driver were killed in an attack on his team's bus today.

"It was very frightening," Farbrace, who was wounded along with six players, told the BBC.

"That panic when you lie on the floor hearing gunfire and you can hear the bus being hit, you just pray one of them doesn't hit you.

"I am just very grateful I am still alive," he added. "I look back on the situation and feel desperately sad for the people who died trying to protect us."

Unidentified gunmen sprayed the Sri Lanka team bus with bullets, grenades and rockets as it was being driven to Lahore's Gaddafi stadium for the third day of the second test. The match was cancelled.

Farbrace described how he heard the windows of the bus breaking and got down to the floor.

"It is then you realise you are a sitting duck," he said, adding the players were lucky to be so close to the stadium where they were able to take shelter.

A helicopter flew the Sri Lankan squad from the stadium and they are expected to return home in the next few hours. Farbrace said he would have an injury to his elbow cleaned up when he arrived back in Colombo.

Speaking about security preparations put in place before the trip, he added: "We had a meeting when we were told we would be coming and asked for a few things to be put in place.

"I don't think anyone would send a cricket team anywhere if there was any question about their safety."