Bangladesh cricketers return home after close shave in Christchurch

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Bangladesh cricketers returned home on Saturday after narrowly escaping the ghastly shooting at a mosque in Christchurch that killed 50 people in the New Zealand city.

The Bangladesh cricket team, who were playing a cricket series in New Zealand and were scheduled to play a Test match in the South Island city of Christchurch, had a close shave as at least 17 members of their team drove up to Masjid al Noor mosque in a bus to join Friday prayers.

They arrived at the spot minutes after the gunman stormed the building and caused the mayhem. The cricketers were prevented from entering the compound by the security personnel as they were tackling the unprecedented security situation.

Members of the Bangladesh cricket team arrive to depart for Bangladesh from Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand on March 16, 2019. /VCG Photo

With the Test, scheduled to begin on Saturday, being called off immediately after the horrific incident, the “distressed” team arrived at Dhaka airport late Saturday.

Skipper Mahmudllah Riyad told reporters after the team's arrival, “The only thing I can say that we are very lucky. With all of your prayers... now we could return here alive. I cannot describe what is going inside us, what we have seen.”

“All of us in the team could not sleep properly. The only thing that popped up in our mind was how lucky we are,” he added.

The captain also thanked the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and New Zealand Cricket for making arrangements to help them return home as early as possible.