Savak
ODI Captain
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2006
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Stuart Broad's father saved my life, says umpire shot by terrorists
Ahsan Raza will not be lenient with the England paceman Stuart Broad, despite the debt to his dad in terrifying Lahore attack
Andy Wilson in Dubai
guardian.co.uk, Friday 13 January 2012 23.01 GMT
Stuart Broad's father, Chris, laid on top of Ashan Raza to stop the umpire losing blood after being shot twice. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
For Ahsan Raza, one of the umpires in England's match against the Pakistan Board XI who will also be involved in the internationals to come over the next few weeks, the sight of Stuart Broad in the pavilion had a special significance. "His father saved my life," Raza reflected matter of factly.
The 37-year-old father of three had been travelling with Chris Broad, the former England opener who is now an International Cricket Council match referee, to officiate at his first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in his home city of Lahore when their bus came under attack from terrorists in the 2009 incident that drove this series to the desert.
"I was hit by two bullets, one in my lung," Raza said. "I was saved by two things. One, I put an ICC handbook, with all the rules and regulations, in front of my stomach." But one of the bullets still penetrated, as he shows by lifting his shirt to reveal a lengthy scar down his front. "I give credit to Chris Broad as well. He was crying at first, everybody in the bus was crying. But then there was a pin-drop silence everywhere, and he suddenly realised that someone – me – was lying dying and my blood was pumping full speed. He lay down on me to try to stop the flow. I just asked my Allah, please save my life for my kids, three small daughters – that was all."
Raza was in a coma for three days, and remained in intensive care for 27. One of his lungs was damaged beyond repair. But within eight months he had been appointed television umpire for the final of Pakistan's domestic Twenty20 competition. Shortly after that he travelled to Dubai for a one-day international between Pakistan and New Zealand, one of the first games that was relocated to the United Arab Emirates as a result of the Lahore shooting. "My first day driving to the ground here in Dubai, I turned to my match referee Andy Pycroft, and said: 'Where is the security? There was fear in my mind," Raza said. "Andy said: 'There's nothing, everything is fine here.' And after that I didn't feel anything. I feel safe anywhere now."
That includes Pakistan, Raza having refused the opportunity to move to the UK – where he had played for Kingstonians in Surrey and Motherwell in Scotland as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Broad had even offered to support his application for a visa. "But Pakistan is the land of my forefathers, I love it," he said. "And I tell you, it is fine now, things have changed. There are some places up in the hills, maybe, but in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, the cities, you can play cricket easy. They have played games with 20,000 crowds and no problem. I have always said it is my dream to umpire in international cricket, so now that dream is for international cricket to go back to Pakistan, where the people love cricket so much. I hope it can happen soon."
Bangladesh are considering an offer to make a short tour in April and MCC is also planning to send a team of volunteers. As for Raza, he sees his appointment as fourth umpire for the first two Tests of England's series, then as one of the standing umpires for the first one-day international on 13 February, as a significant step towards his goal of joining his old friend Aleem Dar on the ICC's elite panel.
"I achieved one dream in 2010 when I was at Lord's as the TV umpire for the Test between Pakistan and Australia," he said. "Chris Broad was my match referee that day too and he said to me: 'I don't want to see you in that chair here again, I want to see you out on the ground.' That was a wonderful thing to say, and I have remembered it."
As for Broad Jr, who was rested from this match? "I did raise a hand to him when I saw him in the distance but I'm not sure he saw and maybe he doesn't know. That is good, because we know as an umpire, the cricketer cannot be our friend." So there will be no favours for Broad from Raza in the one‑day series, even if his father did save his life that terrifying morning in Lahore three years ago.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jan/13/stuart-broad-umpire-terrorists?newsfeed=true
Comments: I had read many read many disturbing things on Chris Broads history both as a player and match refree wrt his bias and prejudice against Asian players, teams but its the truth that the best time to judge a person is simply by his actions and not his words.
Definately all negative perceptions of Chris Broad have been considerably removed from my side atleast.
Ahsan Raza will not be lenient with the England paceman Stuart Broad, despite the debt to his dad in terrifying Lahore attack
Andy Wilson in Dubai
guardian.co.uk, Friday 13 January 2012 23.01 GMT
Stuart Broad's father, Chris, laid on top of Ashan Raza to stop the umpire losing blood after being shot twice. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
For Ahsan Raza, one of the umpires in England's match against the Pakistan Board XI who will also be involved in the internationals to come over the next few weeks, the sight of Stuart Broad in the pavilion had a special significance. "His father saved my life," Raza reflected matter of factly.
The 37-year-old father of three had been travelling with Chris Broad, the former England opener who is now an International Cricket Council match referee, to officiate at his first Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in his home city of Lahore when their bus came under attack from terrorists in the 2009 incident that drove this series to the desert.
"I was hit by two bullets, one in my lung," Raza said. "I was saved by two things. One, I put an ICC handbook, with all the rules and regulations, in front of my stomach." But one of the bullets still penetrated, as he shows by lifting his shirt to reveal a lengthy scar down his front. "I give credit to Chris Broad as well. He was crying at first, everybody in the bus was crying. But then there was a pin-drop silence everywhere, and he suddenly realised that someone – me – was lying dying and my blood was pumping full speed. He lay down on me to try to stop the flow. I just asked my Allah, please save my life for my kids, three small daughters – that was all."
Raza was in a coma for three days, and remained in intensive care for 27. One of his lungs was damaged beyond repair. But within eight months he had been appointed television umpire for the final of Pakistan's domestic Twenty20 competition. Shortly after that he travelled to Dubai for a one-day international between Pakistan and New Zealand, one of the first games that was relocated to the United Arab Emirates as a result of the Lahore shooting. "My first day driving to the ground here in Dubai, I turned to my match referee Andy Pycroft, and said: 'Where is the security? There was fear in my mind," Raza said. "Andy said: 'There's nothing, everything is fine here.' And after that I didn't feel anything. I feel safe anywhere now."
That includes Pakistan, Raza having refused the opportunity to move to the UK – where he had played for Kingstonians in Surrey and Motherwell in Scotland as a wicketkeeper-batsman. Broad had even offered to support his application for a visa. "But Pakistan is the land of my forefathers, I love it," he said. "And I tell you, it is fine now, things have changed. There are some places up in the hills, maybe, but in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, the cities, you can play cricket easy. They have played games with 20,000 crowds and no problem. I have always said it is my dream to umpire in international cricket, so now that dream is for international cricket to go back to Pakistan, where the people love cricket so much. I hope it can happen soon."
Bangladesh are considering an offer to make a short tour in April and MCC is also planning to send a team of volunteers. As for Raza, he sees his appointment as fourth umpire for the first two Tests of England's series, then as one of the standing umpires for the first one-day international on 13 February, as a significant step towards his goal of joining his old friend Aleem Dar on the ICC's elite panel.
"I achieved one dream in 2010 when I was at Lord's as the TV umpire for the Test between Pakistan and Australia," he said. "Chris Broad was my match referee that day too and he said to me: 'I don't want to see you in that chair here again, I want to see you out on the ground.' That was a wonderful thing to say, and I have remembered it."
As for Broad Jr, who was rested from this match? "I did raise a hand to him when I saw him in the distance but I'm not sure he saw and maybe he doesn't know. That is good, because we know as an umpire, the cricketer cannot be our friend." So there will be no favours for Broad from Raza in the one‑day series, even if his father did save his life that terrifying morning in Lahore three years ago.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jan/13/stuart-broad-umpire-terrorists?newsfeed=true
Comments: I had read many read many disturbing things on Chris Broads history both as a player and match refree wrt his bias and prejudice against Asian players, teams but its the truth that the best time to judge a person is simply by his actions and not his words.
Definately all negative perceptions of Chris Broad have been considerably removed from my side atleast.
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