Our terror background helped: Jayawardene

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team's immediate reaction in taking cover when terrorists attacked their team bus in Lahore was a natural instinct to the continuing unrest in the island nation.

"We have been brought up in a background of terrorist activities. We are used to hearing, seeing these things - firing, bombings. So we ducked under our seats when the firing began. It was like natural instinct," he told reporters.

A traumatised and shaken Sri Lankan cricket team arrived here early this morning by a charted Sri Lankan airlines flight.

The Sri Lanka cricketers were on their way to the Gaddafi stadium for the third day's action of the second and final Test when their bus was attacked by at least a dozen armed terrorists.

Six players were injured in the incident while eight others, most of them security personnel, were killed.

"The attack took place about 500 metres from the Qaddafi ground (in Lahore) by unidentified gunmen who attacked the bus in which we were travelling," Jayawardene said.

"During the attack every player took shelter by ducking inside the bus. The security vehicle for the players was also attacked, besides the bus," he said.