AUSTRALIA was told this would happen, thank God they listened. Before Cricket Australia announced they would abandon their tour of Pakistan last year, they received frightening information that Ricky Ponting and his teammates would be specifically targeted by terrorists.
The Pakistan Government and cricket officials dismissed the notion as rubbish. Should a cricketer be killed by an Islamic fundamentalist, they scoffed, Osama bin Laden would be turned on by his own footsoldiers, such is the regard for the game in their country.
Attacking cricketers was a line terrorists would not cross, Pakistan believed. In truth, for ruthless jihadists seeking global reaction to their deadly deeds, cricketers are prime targets.
These terrorists have been waiting a long time to shake cricket's foundations with their explosions. Had Australia toured there last year, it could easily have been their bus caught in the middle of bullets, grenades and missiles. Pakistan promised unparalleled protection for the Australian players. There would be personal bodyguards for each player, even accompanying them on lifts. All roads to and from grounds would be closed off. Bomb checks would be conducted on and underneath their bus before each trip. A motorcade of armed policemen would follow them everywhere.
It sounded so airtight. The reality was alarming, as security inspections revealed lax standards and worrying mistakes. Women wearing burqas were not being checked as they entered grounds. Unattended bags were spotted around stadiums.
And as the attackers showed yesterday, they are unafraid to engage in combat with security personnel to reach their intended victims.
"We have always had faith in the advice we get, that advice has been consistent for something like 10 years," a CA source said.
Sri Lanka embraced Pakistan when all others turned their back in the worry this might happen. Mahela Jayawardene's team decided to support the isolated country and show others that it was still a safe place to play. A pre-visit security inspection was conducted and Pakistan's promised defence measures were deemed sufficient.
But as soon as it was announced that Sri Lanka would come, the terrorists started drawing up their plans for butchery. It was a horrible way for the team to discover what others dreaded to be true. Their bus was riddled with bullets intended for their skulls on a morning their minds were on the game to be played.
When Australia told Pakistani officials they would not visit because of security fears, the reaction was annoyance. Pakistan had promised all it could and it still wasn't enough. It was the terrorists' intentions yesterday to show that no amount of promises could stop them causing havoc and undermining the new government.
"An act of violence like this is a terrible thing and when it involves those who are part of our cricketing family, players the world over are affected," Ponting said yesterday. "The wider cricketing community has been shocked by what has occurred and our thoughts and full support is with those involved."
Western Australia's Trevor Penney, who served under Tom Moody as assistant coach of Sri Lanka, said: "I know the players have lived in a country where there's been bombings and stuff like that and all these terrorist groups haven't really targeted cricketers up until now."
Clearly, they were just waiting for the right time. Thoughts that cricketers were off-limits belonged only to hopeful officials, who now understand just what they're dealing with.
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