LAHORE: Pakistan's cricket team escaped Tuesday's attack because they left their hotel five minutes late, coach Intikhab Alam said.

"We usually leave the hotel early on the first day because of the toss and on the second and third day we leave the hotel a bit late, so captain Younus Khan decided to leave at 8:35 but the Sri Lankan team left five minutes before us," Alam told foreign news agency.

Alam said when he and his players arrived near the scene security officials stopped them and advised them to return.

"There were firing at the roundabout and we had to take a U-turn and we returned back to hotel. It is shocking and awful," said Alam, a former national captain.