An angry Chris Broad today hit out at the inadequate security laid on by Pakistani authorities that left him at the mercy of terrorists.

The match referee, who arrived back in Britain today, said “there was not a sign of a policeman anywhere” after terrorists ambushed the Sri Lankan team's bus, leaving eight dead and seven players injured.

The 51-year-old former England batsman also claimed the failure to protect the cricketers in Lahore was the “death knell” for cricket in Pakistan.

The attack has raised fears about the safety of players on the sub-continent and there was a fresh warning today from former England coach Duncan Fletcher, who told Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff that they should not play in the Indian Premier League that starts next month.

After landing at Manchester Airport, Broad said: “I am angry at the Pakistani security forces.

“We were promised high level security and in our hour of need that security vanished and they left us to be sitting ducks.

“I had an inkling before the Test match leg of the tour that something might happen.

“I raised my concerns with the ICC before the tour started and they passed on those concerns to the Pakistan Cricket Board and they assured me by email that all security would be taken care of, presidential-style security. But clearly that didn't happen.”

Broad was in a van behind the team's bus with other officials when 14 gunmen armed with rifles, grenades and rocket launchers opened fire on both vehicles.

They were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the Second Test.

He added: “When we were in the van we weren't aware of what was going on outside. But afterwards when you watch the TV pictures you can clearly see the white van we were in, in the middle of a roundabout and not a sign of a policeman anywhere. They had left the scene.”

Broad believes the incident will mean the end of the game in Pakistan despite cricket being such a massive part of life in the country.

“I don't know what the future holds for Pakistan cricket,” he said. “They have a lot of very talented cricketers and I feel sorry for the players and for the cricket-mad public of Pakistan.

“They love to see cricket, they come in great numbers to one-day internationals. But this is a bit of a death knell for cricket in Pakistan.

“I can't see it going on for the foreseeable future. Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has come out and said that friends will come to Pakistan but I don't think they have any friends in world cricket that will go to Pakistan after this has happened.

“Sri Lanka were a friendly country — they wanted to go, they wanted to support Pakistan. I don't think they will be going back and certainly India, Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa won't be keen.”

Broad suggested the ICC should take more responsibility over security issues rather than leave them in the hands of individual boards.

“There are countries who have their own security experts,” he said. “I know England have Reg Dickason and other countries use him and his group to look at security.

“Reg Dickason didn't think Pakistan was safe for anyone to go to. He was amazed the Sri Lanka tour went ahead.

“But he's not advising Sri Lanka. England clearly wouldn't have gone into the same situation.”

The 51-year-old's bravery has been highlighted after he lay on top of the critically-injured local umpire Ahsan Raza in the van, the driver of which was killed by gunfire.

But Broad said: “I'm not a hero. Ahsan Raza took a bullet to the stomach or chest. I was lying behind him on the floor of the van and there were bullets flying all around us.”

Fletcher has admitted he would be “concerned” in Flintoff and Pietersen's position. The pair can earn around £500,000 for three weeks' work in the IPL, but Fletcher said: “If I were one of the England guys who signed up for the Indian Premier League, I would be concerned. The traffic is often so bad in the big cities in India where a lot of the cricket is played that the coach can move along only slowly at times, which turns it into a sitting duck for terrorists.”

IPL organisers are already under pressure to postpone the tournament — due to start on
10 April — because it clashes with general elections.

“It will be difficult to provide paramilitary forces for 40 matches and the elections, too,” admitted Home Affairs Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram.

But League boss Lalit Modi insisted there was “no chance of postponing the IPL” and that the schedule will be revised so there are no matches on election days.