English match official Chris Broad believes the bus driver of the Sri Lankan players helped avert a greater disaster.

Broad was travelling with other match officials to the second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore yesterday morning when the attack occurred.

The match officials' bus trailed the Sri Lanka team bus when both vehicles came under heavy gun fire less than a half mile from their destination.

Six policemen and two civilians were killed in the ensuing gunfire, and Broad's bus was stranded after terrorists killed the driver.

"Sri Lankans happy to be home"

Broad believes the terrorists had plotted to kill the drivers of both buses in an attempt to stop them from driving away.

The Sri Lanka bus also came under gunfire - with seven players and assistant coach Paul Farbrace injured - but was able to drive away from the incident after shots aimed at their driver missed.

Broad believes that could have saved lives, believing the terrorists opted to flee the scene after their primary target - the Sri Lanka team bus - was able to escape.

"Clearly the terrorists targeted the bus drivers," Broad told BBC Radio Five Live.

The driver took bullets, almost

"The Sri Lanka bus driver told us afterwards that he had been shot at two or three times. They missed him so he was able to drive away. Clearly the terrorists targeted the drivers to try and get the bus stationary.

"It was only that the Sri Lankan bus had gone from the scene, they were the targets, that the terrorists felt they had missed their target. So what police were left, were firing at the terrorists, the terrorists fired back.

"Once they realised that had missed their targets they probably left."

A major disaster was averted

Asked to imagine the situation if the terrorists had successfully attacked Sri Lanka's bus, Broad said: "I don't want to think about that, I'm hearing various stories about how a grenade was thrown under the bus but didn't go off and a rocket launcher was fired at the bus but missed. There are lots of ifs and buts.

"But it is just a major tragedy for the world of sport and Pakistan itself because I can't see cricket going back there, certainly in the distant future."

Broad admitted he had feared for his life as bullets pelted the bus he and fellow match officials were in for "seven to 10 minutes."

The 51-year-old at one stage shielded fourth umpire Ahsan Raza with his body after the local official had been hit by a bullet.

Umpire still critical

Raza was in a critical condition in a Lahore hospital and Broad admitted he felt lucky it was not he who was injured.

He added: "It is very difficult to put it into words. There were five of us in the back of van all lying on floor just listening to the crack of bullets going on around us and hitting the van. Every time you heard a crack you just thought 'this bullet's for me'.

"We were unaware of what was going on outside the bus, just that our van was hit several times.

"Fortunately for myself, Simon Taufel, Steve Davis, Peter Manuel and Nadeem Ghauri (the third umpire) none of the bullets hit us. Unfortunately for Ahsan Raza and for Abdul Sami, our liaison officer, both got hit.

"The terrorists had also killed our driver so we were stranded. We were sitting ducks."

The great escape

With the second Test immediately abandoned after the attacks, Broad was able get a flight out of Pakistan to Dubai yesterday - along with umpires Taufel and Davis - and is due to land in Manchester this morning.

After his ordeal he was able to get in contact with his son, Stuart Broad, who is currently on England duty in the Caribbean.

"My dad saw things that he never expected to see and he never wants to see again," said Stuart Broad, who was travelling with the England team to Trinidad from Barbados.

"It was dreadful. I spoke to him in the early hours of this morning and he was obviously very shook up by it all.

"It has obviously been really heart-breaking for him."

He added: "He is safe and well and looking forward to getting back to the UK.

"We could have done without it"

"Not just for my old man, but for the whole of the Sri Lankan side, it is a dreadful thing to have happened.

"Luckily none of them got seriously injured and they've escaped okay.

"It is just an horrific incident and we all feel for them because we can sort of relate to the situation.

"Obviously our condolences go out to the families and loved ones who lost people in the incident."