'Don't come here, dad!'

That's the first thing SL opener Malinda told his father Upali, who was in Lahore to watch the second Test, minutes after the attack on the Lankan team outside Gaddafi Stadium

That's the first thing SL opener Malinda told his father Upali, who was in Lahore to watch the second Test, minutes after the attack on the Lankan team outside Gaddafi Stadium

UPALI Warnapura had just seen off his son Malinda and was getting ready in his hotel room to go to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day's play when his mobile phone rang. He was surprised to hear his son's voice within a few minutes of waving him bye. Upali could sense the panic in the Sri Lanka opener's speech as he muttered, 'Don't come to the stadium Dad, our team bus has been attacked. Don't come out of the hotel. I am fine but some of the players have been injured'.

Malinda Warnapura

Upali is his son's biggest fan and he makes it a point to go for his matches whenever possible. Hence, he was in Lahore too during the ill-fated second Test when his son's team bus came under attack from the terrorists outside the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.

"I flew into Lahore on Friday night and was at the Test match on the first two days Sunday and Monday. I must have been the only Sri Lankan supporter in the stadium," Upali told MiD DAY from his Colombo residence while going through the traumatic incidents of cricket's Terrible Tuesday in Lahore.

Lucky escape
"I immediately informed the Sri Lanka Cricket board office and left a message for Duleep Mendis (CEO).

"Mali escaped unhurt because he was lying on the floor in the centre of the bus. Those who suffered injuries were mainly who were on the left side of the bus," said Upali, a former first-class player who is now a match-referee in Lanka's domestic cricket. He is the brother of Bandula Warnapura, Sri Lanka's first Test captain.

"Apart from me, the only other family member present with the team in Lahore was Tillakratne Dilshan's wife and his eight-month old child. She got very tense hearing the news. It was a bad situation for her as she had the small baby with her. Every half an hour Mali was giving me information which I was passing to my family and other relevant people in Colombo.

Speculation
"In Sri Lanka the early news only said the team was attacked and some players were injured without mentioning the names, leading to all kinds of speculation.

"At home my wife started crying with everyone at home. She only calmed down when I told Mali to call her. He assured her he was all right.

"The players were directly airlifted to the airforce base from the stadium and did not get a chance to pack their luggage. The packing was done by the hotel staff and the baggage transported directly to the airforce base.

"At around 2 pm, Dilshan's wife and I were driven with a security escort to the airforce base where all the players were present.

"Most of the players, who all call me uncle, were saying their prayers, they said only God saved them. They felt it was a miracle that everybody was saved. Even if one player would have got seriously injured it would have affected the whole team.

United
"There are many daily flights operating for Colombo from Lahore and the players could have left in the afternoon itself. But, the whole team was united about leaving together even it meant getting delayed. Taking the regular flights would have meant leaving some of the injured players behind as there would have been other passengers too in the aircraft. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene spoke to the Sri Lanka president who immediately arranged for a chartered flight to take the team back home.

"Most of them were drained out by the tremendous experience of the day and immediately fell asleep. They woke up about half an hour before we landed. Overall, they were relaxed once inside the aircraft," revealed Upali.

The main question now is about how the players will recover from the mental scars sustained and get back to cricket. "They will be fine. The way they behaved on the aircraft proves that they will be back in the game soon. They should ease into it again and play couple of home series first. The home crowd support will help them overcome the trauma and they will be ready to play abroad again." We hope.