LAHORE: Driver Meher Muhammad Khalil became a hero when militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team bus on a busy street in Lahore in 2009, holding his nerve under gunfire to whisk them to safety.
Eight years later he is ready to welcome Sri Lanka back for militancy-wracked Pakistan’s first cricket match against a top international team since that terrible day.
The bus ambush, in which eight people were killed and eight wounded, including seven Sri Lankan players, drove cricket and most other international sports from Pakistan for years.
But security has now improved, and Sri Lanka agreed Monday to go ahead with its visit to Pakistan next week for a Twenty20 match in Lahore, despite fears expressed by some players.
Khalil says the hype surrounding Sri Lanka’s return has sharpened his memories of the assault on the morning of March 3, 2009 as he drove the team to Qaddafi Stadium.
Two elite police vehicles were in front of the bus as he eased on to Liberty roundabout in the heart of Lahore when Pakistani Taliban militants opened fire, spraying bullets along the convoy.
“First I thought it was fireworks for our guest team,” he told AFP, standing in the street where the ambush began.
“Then a man came in front of me (and) fired straight at me with a Kalashnikov... I realized, it’s not fireworks.”
The militants shot the drivers first, he said, killing the two in the lead vehicles on the spot.
Khalil saw their vehicles skid one to the left and one to the right, opening a path down the center — and then he hit the accelerator. “They fired intensely on the vehicle, and also lobbed a hand grenade and fired a rocket,” he said, but both missed.
He does not remember hitting the brakes, he said, until he had driven the bus right inside Qaddafi Stadium.
A security cordon was thrown up and he and the players stayed there until a Pakistani military helicopter airlifted them right out from its grassy pitch.
In the harrowing aftermath, Khalil was awarded medals and given cash prizes from grateful Pakistani and Sri Lankan officials.
But Pakistan’s security continued to deteriorate, and the Taliban kept gaining ground.
Khalil’s newfound VIP status just made him a target, he feared, and by the end of the year he had fled the country, first to Morocco then to South Africa.
By 2013, however, he had returned to Pakistan, and once more drives a bus in Lahore.
Pakistan’s fortunes, meanwhile, have improved, with a dramatic uptick in security in recent years, although militants still carry out spectacular attacks.
The growing confidence led to a visit by minnows Zimbabwe in 2015 — a small step in cricket terms, but as the Pakistani national anthem rang out in Qaddafi Stadium for the first time since 2009, a giant leap for home fans.
It was followed by the final this March for the hugely popular Pakistan Super League, where fans held up banners proclaiming “Pakistan wins today.”
And last month a World XI side led by Faf du Plessis visited for three T20 matches, with the foreign players hailing the series as “more than cricket.”
International Cricket Council (ICC) officials acknowledged that Pakistan had made “tremendous strides,” though there was still a long way to go.
The T20 finale comes at the end of a series otherwise played in the United Arab Emirates, where Pakistan have held their “home” internationals since the ambush.
Sri Lanka’s return, officials hope, will represent another turning point.
“See what a brave nation they are,” Khalil said, his eyes glittering. “That this incident happened to them and still that team is coming to play in our country.
“The whole of Pakistan should give them protocol (respect) and welcome them very warmly.”
Sri Lankan officials have said they agreed to the game after assessments by Sri Lankan and Pakistan authorities, independent security experts and the ICC.
The country’s cricket chief, Thilanga Sumathipala, has previously appealed for an end to Pakistan’s isolation and urged other teams to come to play.
Khalil, however, urged caution, calling for “foolproof security” for all foreign players in Pakistan.
The Sri Lankan players had been nervous the night before the ambush, he said, describing a conversation with batsman Kumar Sangakkara that evening.
“Sangakkara asked me: ‘Mr. Muhammad, are we people safe in Pakistan?’“
“I told him nothing will happen, and if, God forbid, something happens then thousands of people like me will sacrifice our lives for you.”
The next day, after their worst fears came true with Sangakkara among the wounded, he visited the Sri Lankan player in hospital.
“He told me, ‘You are a great man... You are my hero,’” Khalil said.
’What a brave nation’ — Pakistan’s bus attack hero hails Sri Lanka cricketers’ return
’What a brave nation’ — Pakistan’s bus attack hero hails Sri Lanka cricketers’ return
Kroos criticizes match officials for offside call in Bayern-Madrid semifinal
- “It’s bad handling. You have to let play continue,” the Germany player said in a podcast he runs with his brother Felix.
- “I think the mistake is primarily the linesman’s”
BERLIN: Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos criticized match officials for their controversial offside call which benefited his team against Bayern Munich during the Champions League semifinals.
Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt thought he’d equalized to send last week’s game to extra time when he fired the ball into Madrid’s net in the 13th minute of stoppage time.
But referee Szymon Marciniak had already blown his whistle after his assistant quickly raised his flag for a possible offside infringement.
Too quickly, Kroos said Wednesday.
“It’s bad handling. You have to let play continue,” the Germany player said in a podcast he runs with his brother Felix. “I think the mistake is primarily the linesman’s.”
Bayern were trailing 2-1 and needed a goal to force extra time to keep alive their hopes of reaching the final. UEFA tells match officials not to stop play immediately for tight offside calls. And TV replays showed it was a very close call.
“If he raises the flag now, the referee assumes that his linesman sees it exactly that way and trusts him that it was probably three meters offside,” said Kroos, who said he understood Bayern’s frustrations.
“The anger is justified because you just have to play the situation to the end, 100 percent.”
Kroos said he was unsure if Madrid defenders would have stopped de Ligt’s shot had there not been an intervention from the referee.
“I don’t know if there was a collective switching off because you could hear the whistle very early,” Kroos said. “You could tell the tension dropped among everyone who wanted to defend this goal.”
Madrid won the second leg 2-1 to reach the final in London on June 1.
Borussia Dortmund will try to stop the Spanish giant from claiming its 15th European title.
Saudia unites football, motorsport with displays in Newcastle, Berlin
- Kingdom’s flag carrier introduces fans to new Gen3 Formula E car at St. James’ Park
- Immersive fan zone offers variety of interactive experiences during Berlin E-Prix
BERLIN/JEDDAH: Saudia, the flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has flown the new Gen3 Formula E car to St. James’ Park in the UK to coincide with Newcastle United’s final home game of the season.
The carrier has a strategic partnership with the Premier League club and is also the official airline partner of the all-electric Formula E series.
The event coincided with the release of a short film bringing together the worlds of motorsport and football, with football fans being introduced to Formula E and the car.
“This event provides a fantastic platform for us to engage with our guests and the global audience, whether in person or through our innovative digital portals,” Khaled Tash, Saudia Group’s chief marketing officer, said in the statement.
“Integrating our partnerships with both Newcastle United and Formula E in such an engaging manner exemplifies our commitment to bringing fans closer to the sports they love. Each year, we strive to elevate the experience for racegoers and fans worldwide, as part of our commitment to creating unforgettable memories wherever our brand is present.”
Saudia also hosted an immersive fan zone experience during the Berlin E-Prix on May 11-12 in Berlin.
Fans were given access to an E-Village, with a dedicated Discover-E Zone featuring a variety of interactive experiences, as well as games, competitions, and giveaways featuring both Saudia and Formula E merchandise.
Knicks bounce back to crush Pacers, Jokic and Nuggets on a roll
- After losing Game 4 by 32 points, it was an emphatic response from the Knicks
- Denver Nuggets made it three straight wins in their semifinal with the Minnesota Timberwolves
NEW YORK: Jalen Brunson was back to his best on Tuesday as the New York Knicks dominated the Indiana Pacers 121-91 to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal Game 5.
A win on Friday night in Indianapolis will see the Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 24 years.
After losing Game 4 by 32 points, it was an emphatic response from the Knicks, with Brunson piling up 44 points with seven assists and four rebounds.
“He’s willing to share everything with his teammates, and to me, that is the best part of him,” said Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau.
“His play is spectacular, but who he is as a teammate, as a leader, it makes us that. Big shot after big shot.”
The Knicks destroyed Indiana on the boards, with Isaiah Hartenstein leading the way with 17 rebounds (12 offensive) while Josh Hart had 11 rebounds (nine defensive).
Brunson’s impact had been limited in the past two games in the series, with concerns that his heavy workload and a foot injury may have slowed him down.
But there were no signs of fatigue as he reached the 40 mark for the fifth time this post-season.
Brunson, who had only 18 points in Sunday’s loss, shot 18 for 35 and put up 28 points in the first half — a playoff record for the Knicks.
It was his seven straight points, including a three-pointer to open up a 20-point lead at 106-86, that made sure of the victory.
“I just love that there is never any excuse-making from him. He’s never talking about injuries,” said Thibodeau.
“A lot of times when you hear people talking about their injuries, a lot of it is excuse-making and you never get that from him.”
The Pacers got off to a strong start and led 25-20 before the Knicks put together an 11-0 run to end the first quarter up 38-32. By halftime, it was 69-54 and New York were in no mood to let the lead slip.
Thibodeau said he expected the response to the blowout defeat from his team.
“They’ve shown that all year, that’s who they are. We still need one more win, so we can’t be too excited about it,” he said.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 22 points.
In the West, the Denver Nuggets made it three straight wins in their semifinal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Nikola Jokic leading the defending champions with 40 points.
Having trailed 2-0 in the series, Denver are now just one win away from a return to the Western Conference finals.
Jokic was presented with his Most Valuable Player of the year award — the third of his career — before the game, then quickly provided another reminder of his value.
Denver led 50-44 at halftime, with Jokic scoring 19 of their points. Then, after the Wolves went on an 11-3 run early in the third quarter, Jokic scored another 16 to extend the Nuggets’ lead to 88-74.
Denver were able to keep Anthony Edwards quiet, with the Timberwolves star limited to 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
The 22-year-old had scored 44 points in Sunday’s Game 4 loss.
But after the shock of losing the opening two games of the series, Jokic knows a tough test awaits on Thursday in Minnesota.
“Our back is still against the wall and we don’t want to quit. We are still desperate, and we still want to win, and we are going to Minnesota to get one,” he said.
Denver head coach Michael Malone was pleased with the way his team dealt with the threat from Edwards.
“We knew we had to do something different with Anthony Edwards, he is just a one-man wrecking crew,” said Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
“We trapped him, we double-teamed him, flew around behind it, and that takes a lot of effort and our guys committed to it and that was a big part of the win,” he said.
Daniil Medvedev latest to crash out of Italian Open after loss to Tommy Paul
- The second-seeded Medvedev has never successfully defended a title and he failed again as he lost to American Tommy Paul
- In the women’s tournament, top-ranked Iga Swiatek reached the final four when she swept aside former finalist Madison
ROME: The curse of the defending champion struck again for Daniil Medvedev.
The second-seeded Medvedev has never successfully defended a title and he failed again on Tuesday as he lost 6-1, 6-4 to American Tommy Paul to become the latest top player to crash out of the Italian Open.
“It’s disappointing, to be honest,” said Medvedev, who has won 20 tour-level titles. “I wanted to do better here. I was not even close. What can I say? The more titles I win, the more chances I have to defend.
“So the more tournaments in a year I’m going to play where I already won, maybe not defend, but at least win twice the same tournament, that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
The opener lasted just 28 minutes as the 14th-seeded Paul broke Medvedev on all three of his service games and then served out the set to love.
“Was a tough one. Mentally I had to be much better,” Medvedev said. “I started to calm myself down and focus on the match only at the end of the match, and it was too late. I had to do better. I was expecting myself to play better.”
Medvedev improved slightly in the second set when he broke immediately but Paul broke straight back and never looked back, securing his spot in the quarterfinals when Medvedev sent a backhand long.
The second-seeded Medvedev followed 10-time champion Rafael Nadal and top-ranked Novak Djokovic with early exits in Rome.
The only other players to have won the men’s tournament at the Foro Italico in the past 19 years are Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev.
The third-seeded Zverev, who won in 2017, eased past Nuno Borges 6-2, 7-5 and will face Taylor Fritz.
Fritz reached the men’s quarterfinals for the first time after recovering from losing a lengthy second-set tiebreaker — during which he let slip match point — to see off Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-7 (11), 6-1.
Alejandro Tabilo backed up his stunning third-round win against Djokovic by edging Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 7-6 (10) to reach a Masters quarterfinal for the first time. He will face Zhang Zhizhen, who ousted Thiago Monteiro 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Paul will play Hubert Hurkacz after the seventh seed — who eliminated Nadal in the second round — beat Sebastian Baez 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4. The other quarterfinal pits Stefanos Tsitsipas against Nicolas Jarry.
In the women’s tournament, top-ranked Iga Swiatek reached the final four when she swept aside former finalist Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3 with the same score she achieved against the American in the Madrid semifinals two weeks ago.
The 16th-ranked Keys grew more frustrated at her inability to convert break points — racking up 10 without converting a single one — and at one point hit her racket against the clay.
Swiatek won the Madrid Open and is attempting to become the first player to win the “dirt double” since Serena Williams and Nadal both did so in 2013.
The two-time champion will next face third-seeded Coco Gauff after the American beat Qinwen Zheng 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Real Madrid present Spanish league trophy to fans and then rout Alaves 5-0
- Coach Carlo Ancelotti used the regular starters again after giving them some rest in a 4-0 win at Granada
- It was the ninth straight league win for Madrid and sixth in their last seven matches in all competitions
MADRID: Real Madrid presented their 36th Spanish league trophy to their fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday, then followed up the celebrations with a 5-0 rout of Alaves that featured a pair of goals by Vinicius Junior and another by Jude Bellingham.
Federico Valverde and Arda Guler also scored for Madrid, who were yet to play at the Bernabeu since clinching the league two rounds ago. The club celebrated the title on Sunday through the streets of Madrid, but it couldn’t go through its traditional celebration at the Bernabeu because of a concert at the stadium.
They couldn’t celebrate when they clinched the title in advance with a win against Cadiz on May 4 because it had to play Bayern Munich a few days later in the semifinals of the Champions League, a game they won 2-1 to make it to the June 1 final against Borussia Dortmund in London.
“I’m really pleased with the team’s performance, we need to get into a good rhythm. We have a very important game left to crown our season,” Vinicius said. “We always enjoy wearing this shirt and playing for these fans at this stadium. My dream since I was a child was to play here and now we have the opportunity to deliver this victory for many kids who want to be here but can’t.”
Alaves’ players gave Madrid a guard of honor before the match, lining up near the sideline and applauding Madrid players as they entered the field. Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez stepped onto the field carrying the league trophy.
The other 35 league trophies were represented in images placed around the midfield circle.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti used the regular starters again after giving them some rest in a 4-0 win at Granada on Saturday.
Bellingham opened the scoring in the 10th minute, Vinicius scored his first goal in the 27th and Valverde found the net in first-half stoppage time. Vinícius got his second in the 70th and Guler sealed the result in the 81st.
It was the ninth straight league win for Madrid and sixth in their last seven matches in all competitions. They reached 93 points from 36 matches, 17 points more than second-place Barcelona.
Earlier, relegation-threatened Mallorca drew 1-1 at Osasuna, moving to 15th place and staying seven points from the demotion zone.
Girona missed a chance to overcome Barcelona for second place after a 1-0 loss to mid-table Villarreal at home. Girona stayed in third place after the loss, one point from Barcelona and five ahead of fourth-place Atletico Madrid.
Atletico visit mid-table Getafe on Wednesday, while Barcelona are at last-place Almeria on Thursday.
