Chris Broad has criticised Pakistan security forces for breaking their promise of ultra-tight security ahead of the Lahore gun attack.
ICC match referee says security promises broken by Pakistan officials
Chris Broad has spoken of his anger at the Pakistan security forces for breaking their promise of ultra-tight security ahead of the Lahore gun attack.
Broad and his fellow ICC officials and umpires were caught up in the gunfire after terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Fourth umpire Ashan Raza is in a serious condition in hospital after being hit in the stomach by a bullet as gunfire rained in on the bus carrying Broad and the officials.
Broad arrived back at Manchester Airport on Wednesday and told a news conference, screened live on
Sky Sports News, that he was angry at the lack of protection they received in Lahore.
"My main emotion is anger, anger with the Pakistani security forces," Broad told the news conference.
Inkling
"I had an inkling before the leg of the tour that something might happen, certainly not something as serious as that.
"I raised my concerns with the ICC before the tour started and they passed on those concerns to the Pakistan Cricket Board and they assured me through e-mail that all security would be taken care of, presidential-style security. And clearly that didn't happen.
"When we were in the van we weren't aware of what was going on outside. When you look at pictures on TV you can clearly see our van in the middle of this roundabout with terrorists shooting past our van, into our van, and not a sign of a policeman anywhere. They had clearly left the scene and left us to be sitting ducks.
"So I am extremely angry that we were promised high level security and in our hour of need that security vanished and we were left just open to anything that the terrorists wanted.
"Questions need to be asked of the Pakistan security, having promised us presidential style security it wasn't there when we needed it.
"It was appalling."
Hero
Broad had been labelled a hero after helping fourth umpire Raza after he was hit, but the former England star insisted he was just in a daze during the incident.
"I wasn't a hero, I was lying on the van floor, there were bullets hitting the van, I don't know how many, up to 20/25 bullets, it wasn't real. It's not a position I ever thought I'd find myself in.
"We all had the same feeling that we were just waiting for a bullet to hit us."
Broad said it was too early to decide whether he would go back to Pakistan or the entire sub-continent to fulfil his commitments, with him still struggling to come to terms with his ordeal.
"I've just stepped off a plane, I haven't slept since the incident and I find it difficult to sleep at the moment because there's so many images going through my mind. It's something I'll have to come to terms with and deal with.
"My next appointment is in the first week of April so I've got a bit of time to go home and think about things and work out what happens from here."
Broad does believe that the attack will, for the foreseeable future at least, prevent any team from even considering playing in Pakistan, saying it was the "death knell in coffin of cricket in Pakistan".
"Ijaz Butt, the chairman has come out and said that friends will come to Pakistan but I don't think they have any friends in world cricket that will go to Pakistan after this has happened."
