Every day, Simon Taufel thinks about the morning six months ago when he was certain his life was about to end on Sri Lanka's cricket tour of Pakistan.
On the way to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for day three of the second test in March, the world's number-one umpire was travelling in a mini-bus behind the Sri Lankan team when a dozen gunmen opened fire on the convoy, killing eight people. The driver of Taufel's vehicle was one of those who died, while seven Sri Lankan players - and fellow umpire Ahsan Raza - were wounded.
'I know I'm lucky to be here and still on the planet,' Taufel said. 'We were isolated, left alone and unaccounted for. I can't explain why I'm still here.'
The players' injuries were minor, but Pakistani Raza - the TV umpire working with Australians Taufel and Steve Davis in the test match - underwent emergency surgery to repair a collapsed right lung and damaged liver. As the minibus came under attack, match referee Chris Broad bravely threw himself over Raza to protect the umpire from further injury once he realised his colleague had been shot.
On the Sri Lankan tour coach ahead of them, there were 25 armed police commandos, but the match officials were left on their own in an unprotected minibus, just like 'sitting ducks', according to former England test batsman Broad.
'We are determined not to be ever put in that position again,' Taufel said. 'I was critical of what we were promised in terms of protection and safety and what was then delivered in our hour of need. I'm confident the ICC and home boards now understand their duty to care over everyone who participates in the game, not just players.'