Christchurch: The Bangladesh cricket team Saturday left New Zealand, hours after escaping death by a whisker in the deadliest terror attack in the country’s history.
Leaving behind Friday’s scary experience in Christchurch, the Bangladesh cricketers were relieved to be boarding the flight back home.
The Bangladesh team, which was scheduled to play in the third and final Test against New Zealand starting here on Saturday, was on its way to the Masjid Al Noor Mosque mosque, one of two sites of the shooting attack that killed at least 49 people.
The tour was immediately called off. Bangladesh players and management departed Christchurch on Saturday, travelling from their central city hotel to Christchurch Airport in the team bus under police escort, according to stuff.co.nz. Bangladesh’s support staff were scheduled for a later flight. On Friday, the bus carried 17 members of the team with Liton Das, Nayeem Hasam and spin bowling coach and former India spinner Sunil Joshi staying back at the hotel. The players and support staff could hear gunshots as they feared for their lives inside the bus. Minutes later, they mustered the courage to disembark and rush towards the Hagley Oval stadium. Their team bus was only about 50 yards from the mosque and players were worried about how they would safely get out of the vehicle. Once at the Hagley Oval, they were housed in a dressing room at the ground before leaving for the team hotel.
Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal said he believes it will not be easy for the national cricket team to overcome the shock of narrowly escaping Friday’s shooting in a New Zealand mosque.At least 49 people died in attacks on two mosques in the city of Christchurch during Friday prayers, in what appeared to be the worst act of terror against Muslims in a Western country. “It will certainly take some time for us to get out of it (the state of shock) after the experience we had here,” Tamim told reporters at Christchurch airport moments before the team left for Bangladesh on Saturday. At least 17 members of the Bangladesh cricket team, including Tamim, drove up to the Masjid al Noor in a bus to join Friday prayers when the mosque came under attack by a gunman. Team manager Khaled Mashud said the players and staff on the bus watched as blood-soaked victims staggered from the building.
They stayed in the bus for eight to 10 minutes before leaving it sensing danger, according to Mashud. The Bangladesh cricket team was in Christchurch for their third and final Test of a three-match series, which was scheduled to begin Saturday.
The Test was promptly cancelled and the Bangladesh Cricket Board and New Zealand authorities arranged for the team to leave the country at the earliest possible time. The Bangladesh team is expected to return home at 10.40pm local time (1640GMT) on Saturday. (PTI)
