Christchurch shootings: Bangladeshi cricketers escape from Al Noor Mosque

A late one-on-one football match saved the Bangladesh cricket team from being caught up in the Christchurch mosque shootings.

Monday marks the second anniversary of the harrowing day in New Zealand history, which killed 51 worshipers and wounded 40.

Bangladesh was in Christchurch for Test 3 against the Black Caps at Hagley Oval, which was scheduled to start the next day. Will Young was set to make his test debut for Captain Kane Williamson, suffering a torn pectoral muscle, but the match was quickly abandoned.

Instead of heading out to the picturesque Hagley countryside, Bangladesh was fleeing the city under police surveillance to fly home. They narrowly avoided being inside the Al Noor Mosque on Deans Ave for Friday’s prayer session.

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Surprisingly, a late one-on-one soccer match between Taijul Islam and Mushfiqur Rahim caused the team’s bus to miss the mosque when it should. A lengthy press conference also contributed.

Two years later, Bangladesh has made an emotional comeback, completing its managed isolation in Christchurch on Wednesday.

The first ODI is in Dunedin on Saturday before they head to Hagley for the second game next Tuesday, a place they escaped to as the shootings unfolded. Bangladesh was safely housed in a dressing room on the floor while a local liaison person explained how they would get back to their hotel safely.

Speaking last week at the end of the quarantine, Captain Tamim Iqbal said the experience had been traumatizing and that it took significant time to recover.

He was reluctant to share those memories and said that New Zealand was a lovely country. Bangladesh was excited to enjoy the tour and play well against the Black Caps.

“We just have to respect that, respect the families, who have lost theirs, and just pray that God will make it easy for them. That’s it. I really don’t want to go into it because it’s not a pleasant feeling, “said Tamim.

“New Zealand has given us many good reasons to come here and I am sure that in the future we will not hesitate to come because apart from that incident New Zealand has been fantastic.

Tamim praised Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s work after the mosque attacks and said that if I had the opportunity to meet her, he would personally appreciate it.

“I must mention the prime minister. The way he acted during those difficult times was something that was highly appreciated by all Bangladeshis. I think he did a fantastic job. “

Seventeen Bangladeshi players, including Tamim, and the support staff were within minutes of being inside the mosque when the gunman opened fire.

It was only a late one-on-one soccer game that set them back.

“In the locker room we got into a soccer game. Taijul [Islam] He didn’t want to lose, but the others wanted him to lose in that game. Taijul and Mushfiq [Rahim] they were having a one-on-one game, which took a few more minutes. These little things saved us in the end, “said Tamim. ESPNCricinfo At the time.

“Usually Mushfiq [Rahim] and Riyad bhai [Mahmudullah] I want to be present during the Khudbah [sermon]That’s why we want to be early for the Jumma prayers.

“The bus was scheduled to leave at 1.30 pm, but Riyad Bhai had gone to the press conference. He spent a little time there, and after finishing the press conference, he came to the locker room ”.

Tamim said ESPNCricinfo as always, he was sitting in the sixth seat to the left of the bus. As they approached the mosque, everyone on the right could see something from their windows. The bus was parked about 45 meters from the entrance to the mosque.

“When we saw more bodies, we didn’t know what to do. Those who wore the namaz cap took it off in fear. I mean, we realized that something was going on. Those who wear punjabi [shalwar kameez] they began to put a jacket over it. What else to do? “

The team lay on the floor of the bus for 10 minutes, not knowing what was going on inside. They knew it was a kind of violence. Everyone was in absolute panic.

“Had we reached [Al Noor] even three or four minutes earlier we would probably have been inside the mosque, “team manager Khaled Mashud said in a video at the time.

“The images we saw were taken directly from a movie scene.”

Police appeared and special forces stormed the mosque. The Bangladeshi contingent was able to see wounded and bloody people coming out of the building.

Players screamed to be let off the bus, knowing they had a chance to escape if allowed to get off.

“Right at that point, for some reason, the driver took the bus 10 meters ahead. I don’t know why he did this. We were at a breaking point at the time. They all lost it. We started pounding on the middle door. We were kicking and banging on that door. He opened the door, “said Tamim. ESPNCricinfo.

Once they got off the bus, they considered running through Hagley Park, but decided it would be wiser to walk briskly so as not to attract attention.

After taking safe refuge in Hagley Oval, they returned to their hotel terrified by the events of the day, desperate to return home to Bangladesh.

“You know that you had seen death with your own eyes. Your body gets cold. It was something we will never forget, ”said Tamim.

“On the way to the airport [the next day]We said to each other that if things had gone wrong even a little bit, it would have been our corpses, not us, going home. It was only a matter of 30 seconds. “