Inzamam-ul-Haq, the legendary batsman and former captain of Pakistan, told his story of how the attack impacted Pakistani cricket and caused issues for the team for years to come.
The long-awaited return of an ICC tournament to Pakistan since the 1996 World Cup, which the country co-hosted, will take place in 2025. The event is scheduled to start on Wednesday, February 19 and will be held in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Unfortunate events that occurred in the nation are the cause of this extended gap from hosting an ICC event. The 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan squad was one of the significant events that caused teams to avoid playing in Pakistan. One of the worst periods in cricket history was this one.
We were punished for ten years, and the events of 2009 seem like a nightmare. The Indian Express cited Inzamam as saying, “Our cricket went backwards.”
The terror attack in 2009 was the event that terrified cricket fans.
On the third day of the second Test in Lahore, a group of twelve gunmen assaulted the Sri Lankan team’s bus as they were making their way to the stadium. According to reports, the gunmen were carrying rocket launchers, weapons, and grenades. The tour came to an early halt as a result of the attack, and the relevant Test match was ruled a draw.
The attack claimed the lives of six police officers and a driver who was accompanying the match officials. Legendary players Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were among the seven Sri Lankan players hurt. Everyone in the cricket community was alarmed by this incident, which resulted in Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana being hospitalized.