Christchurch mosque shooting: Bangladesh cricket team escapes deadly shooting, Test cancelled
The Test cricket match between Bangladesh and NZ has been cancelled after the Bangladeshi team escaped the deadly mosque attack.
The Test cricket match between Bangladesh and NZ has been cancelled after the Bangladeshi team narrowly escaped the deadly mosque attacks.
Multiple people were killed in gun attacks on the mosques.
The Bangladeshi team was at one of the mosques in Christchurch for Friday prayers, but escaped the shooting.
Most of the team and staff had arrived at Masjid al Noor mosque when they were warned not to go inside as the shooting unfolded.
The team is in Christchurch and was to play New Zealand in the third cricket test starting tomorrow.
“A joint decision between NZC and the @BCBtigers has been made to cancel the Hagley Oval Test,” the New Zealand team tweeted, adding that all players and officials were safe.
The Test was scheduled to start on Saturday.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families and friends of those affected by the shocking situation in Christchurch. A joint decision between NZC and the @BCBtigers has been made to cancel the Hagley Oval Test. Again both teams and support staff groups are safe.
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 15, 2019
Opening Bangladeshi batsman Tamim Iqbal tweeted “entire team got saved from active shooters. Frightening experience and please keep us in your prayers.”
Teammate Mushfiqur Rahim posted: “We r extremely lucky … never want to see this things happen again … pray for us.”
Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus said the team were unharmed but “mentally shocked”, and had been ordered to stay in the team hotel. AFP reports.
“They are safe. But they are mentally shocked. We have asked the team to stay confined in the hotel,” Yunus told AFP.
Bangladesh team escaped from a mosque near Hagley Park where there were active shooters. They ran back through Hagley Park back to the Oval. pic.twitter.com/VtkqSrljjV
— Mohammad Isam (@Isam84) March 15, 2019
Mario Villavarayen, strength and conditioning coach of the Bangladesh cricket team said: “The players are shaken up but fine. I spoke to one of them shortly after [the incident]. They didn’t see anything but heard gunshots. They were at the ground [Hagley Oval] and just started running.
“The coaching staff were all at the hotel. The players just started running when they heard the shots. I don’t know how many [shots] there were. This happened at about 1.45pm. (NZT time).”
He said they were shaken but unhurt.
“I spoke to one of them shortly after,” Vllavarayen said. They didn’t see anything but heard gunshots. They were at the ground and just started running.
The gunmen opened fire at two mosques mosque as people gathered for prayers, sparking a major emergency in the South Island town of Christchurch.
Entire team got saved from active shooters!!! Frightening experience and please keep us in your prayers #christchurchMosqueAttack
— Tamim Iqbal Khan (@TamimOfficial28) March 15, 2019
Several hundred people were inside the mosques at the time, with the death toll this evening standing at 40 in the two mosques.
with wires
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