LAHORE - Pakistani umpire Ahsan Raza, the 2009 Sri Lankan team attack survivor, has said that he is ready to resume his international duty and will be officiating the Pakistan-Zimbabwe series without any fear.
Recalling the 2009 attack, the 40-year-old umpire said: "It was a normal day. All match officials had breakfast in the morning and like always we had a separate minibus to travel to the ground. When we heard the firing, we thought it was a normal scuffle between some people but later, we got to know that it was serious."
As the minibus came under a hail of bullets, its driver, Zafar Khan, suffered a fatal wound. "I wanted to save Chris Broad who was tall, more vulnerable and worried. While trying to save him, I was hit by a bullet which hit my lung and went through."
It was then Broad's turn to return the heroic favour. "I told Chris that my heartbeat is getting weak and I was bleeding. He pressed the wound by lying on me and that saved me. When doctors saw me they said that I survived because Chris pressed the wound to stop the flow of blood. For 29 days I was in the hospital and it was a big miracle that I survived."  "Now I never feel scared, I feel that nothing happened and I live a happy life. I could have migrated to England because all my family had visas but I wanted to stay in my country."
He added standing in Friday's T20 against Zimbabwe was a dream come true. "Unfortunately, I was part of the incident which suspended all international cricket in Pakistan and now I am fortunate enough to be part of the cricket revival in Pakistan. When I see the passion of the fans for the upcoming series, tears fall from my eyes. I can't express my feelings." “I think as a nation, we should appreciate them. If you don’t have your life, what good is money? They’ve taken such an initiative that no matter how much you praise them, it is not enough,” Raza concluded.