The Sri Lankan cricket team arrived back in Colombo this morning after yesterday's scandalous, terrible, horrific, frightening and disgusting terrorist attacks on their team bus which left seven people dead, and seven of their squad injured.
Batsman Thilan Samarweera, the most seriously injured, will have surgery on his knee in a private Colombo hospital after suffering a bullet wound, but it's the bravery and seeming nonchalance of the players that has caught the pubic's eye.
Despite the fact that their team bus was targeted with rocket launchers and was riddled with bullets, the diminutive Sri Lankans appeared totally unfazed by their experience.
Team captain Mahela Jayawardene explained the civil war in Sri Lanka had left them better able than other teams to cope with the atrocious attack.
"We have been brought up in a background of terrorist activities," he said, "this was just another day at the office for us.
"We are used to hearing, seeing these things. Firing, bombings. So we ducked under our seats when the firing began and waited - we were talking about the wicket, because it might take spin on the last day."
Geethanjana Mendis, director general of the Sports Ministry medical unit said:
"The boys are all suffering from trauma. But they should all be OK and can get back to cricket in a week to 10 days. They are a plucky lot. At the height of the attack, I even thought the crazy skipper was going to make a dash for a quick single!"
