Fifteen years after one of cricket’s darkest days, Sri Lanka’s former players who survived the 2009 Lahore terror attack have spoken out, describing it as a “horrifying moment” and warning that the current squad, still shaken by this week’s suicide bombing in Islamabad, face a formidable mental test in continuing their tour of Pakistan.
Flashback to a Day of Terror
Sri Lanka’s team bus came under heavy gunfire en route to the Gaddafi Stadium on day three of the Lahore Test in March 2009, leaving several players and an umpire injured. Policemen escorting the team were killed. The tour was abandoned, and the squad, traumatised and bloodied, was airlifted from an army base back to Colombo.
The attack forced Pakistan into cricketing isolation for nearly a decade, with home internationals staged in neutral venues such as the UAE.
Echoes of the Past in Islamabad
Those grim memories resurfaced this week when a suicide bombing in Islamabad, just 25 kilometres from the Sri Lankan team’s hotel, killed 12 people. Panic rippled through the camp, and players initially pushed to abandon the tour.
After urgent interventions by the Pakistan government and fresh security guarantees, all squad members eventually agreed to stay. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reshuffled the series, moving all remaining games from Lahore to the more secure Rawalpindi.
Vaas: “You Never Stop Thinking About Safety”
For veteran fast bowler Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka’s most prolific pacer, the flashbacks remain vivid.
Looking back, we are all grateful nothing worse happened. But for the current boys, it won’t be easy mentally. At the back of your mind, you’re always thinking about safety.
He recalled how what should have been a routine ride to the ground turned into a nightmare.
That short commute from hotel to stadium, normally full of banter and team chatter, becomes the tensest passage of play.
Vaas also appealed for calm and perspective, recalling the solidarity shown by Pakistan in the past.
Pakistan have been our friends in need. People fear that teams might stop touring there again if Sri Lanka pull the plug. It’s a delicate issue, you need to handle it with soft hands.
Lakmal: “I Still Carry the Scars of That Day”
For Suranga Lakmal, then a young pacer on his first overseas tour, the memories are etched into his body.
I still carry the scars of that day,
Shrapnel embedded in his legs delayed surgery and kept him off the field for months. Though he went on to represent Sri Lanka for over a decade and play county cricket for Derbyshire, the trauma has followed him.
As a result, I can’t get MRI scans and every time I pass airport security the metal detectors hold me up. I still travel with a bunch of medical certificates.
Lakmal admitted he declined the chance to return to Pakistan in 2017.
My mind was made up. It’s very hard to focus on cricket after something like that. You keep thinking of your family and your parents.
The Game Must Go On But at What Cost
Sri Lanka’s decision to stay in Pakistan, while easing diplomatic tensions, comes with an emotional burden. The scars of Lahore may have faded for some, but the echoes of fear and resilience continue to shape the island’s cricketing psyche.
As one former player said off the record, “You can move on from an injury, but not from that kind of memory.”
