LAHORE- Hundreds of Pakistan cricket fans who had thronged the Allama Iqbal International Airport in early hours of Tuesday, returned disappointed as the tight security marred a befitting welcome to the country's World Cup winning heroes. Despite the fact that the flight arrived at around 3:20 in the morning, fans turned out in hundreds to greet their heroes at the airport. But following the proverbial "once bitten twice shy", the police decided to take the team's bus from the other terminal with tight security. The bus reached the National Cricket Academy from where the players left for their homes. It is worth a mention that all the people entering the airport had already undergone tough search by the police. All those waiting to receive their stars were die-hard fans who deserved a sight of their national heroes. One wonders why our security planners always display such a poor understanding of real and perceived threats. The same police and security advisors showed extreme unprofessionalism in providing security to the Sri Lankan team when everyone knew there was an attack looming given the prior intelligence warnings. The terrorists seemed to stroll and kill innocents including security personnel at will making a mockery of the promised 'presidential level security'. Such was the management of the security that the terrorists killed at ease and then fled from the scene. And here, despite conducting thorough search at the airport entry, innocent people were denied a rare moment of celebration. This was a great time to forget the horror of Sri Lanka team attack, and yet here the same police, that displayed an incompetence of epic proportions just a few months back, was busy flaunting its professional capabilities ending up hurting innocent cricket fans. Angry fans later protested at the airport and stopped the vehicle of SP Canntt Umar Virk. Police then forcibly removed the protestors. "We changed the plan for the team because of security reasons and drove the team to the national cricket academy in a special bus," police official Umar Virk told reporters outside the airport. The Pakistan team returned via Dubai after beating beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final at Lord's on Sunday to clinch the World Twenty20 title. All-rounders Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam and Abdul Razzaq did not accompany the team as they would return later while captain Younus Khan arrived in Karachi. Younus however walked to the main lounge and received a rapturous welcome. Later coach Intikhab Alam was quoted as saying that fans in Lahore should have been given a chance to welcome the players. "I too am disappointed for the fans because they had come to welcome us so early in the day," Alam said. "I hope that there is a reception so that fans get a chance to see their players. They deserve this as they were the ones who prayed day and night for the team." President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani have promised big reception for the team before they leave for a tour of Sri Lanka later this week.