Bangladesh would have faced a disaster in March 2019 if the cricketers touring New Zealand were not lucky to escape the heinous terror attack at Masjid al Noor mosque in central Christchurch.
Luck had favored the Bangladesh cricketers big that day but the team also believes that if not the then Test captain Mahmudullah and left-arm spinner Taijul Islam had made the delay at the stadium for different reasons, the cricketers would have faced the worst of the incidents.
The revelation was made in Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal’s series of live shows on facebook and Youtube on Saturday with Mominul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Taijul as guests.
“We would have faced the worst if we had reached the mosque a minute or two early that day. Taijul deserves a big thank you. If he was not in New Zealand with us and if had not behaved stubborn [which he always does] only Liton would have been living amongst us,” said Tamim in the show.
“Liton was in hotel [along with Nayeem Hasan]. We got delayed by few minutes to the mosque because of Taijul. He is one guy who doesn’t like to lose. That day he was playing one on one football with Mushfiqur [Rahim] and that went long because Taijul was not giving up, he is stubborn,” Tamim added.
Taijul speaking of the incident said, “I am thankful to the almighty. And you all know well that I being stubborn is in my blood. I need to win anyhow.”
On March 2019, 52 people were shot dead and many others were left injured by an armed individual in what has been termed as the most horrific incident in New Zealand’s history.
Three Bangladeshi nationals were reportedly killed while a bus carrying 17 members of the Bangladesh cricket team were minutes away from being inside the Al Noor Mosque where the fatal mass shooting took place.
Bangladesh cricketers were on way to the mosque for Friday prayers just minutes after the incident happened and could realize things were not right when they were just yards away from the spot.