"You tell me why no one was caught? You tell me why? Supposedly 25 armed commandos were in our convoy, and when the team bus got going again, we were left on our own," an angry Taufel told reporters on his return to the country.

"I don't have answers to those questions. I'm angry that we were isolated. I'm angry that we didn't get the same level of security that the players got. I'm angry that in our hour of need we were left on our own. I'm angry that the team got to the ground and no one came back for us," he said.

The 38-year-old umpire, who is a three-time winner of the ICC Umpire of the Year award and has stood in 55 Tests, said the brazen attack, that claimed eight lives, was nothing short of a war.

"On Tuesday morning we were caught in a war ... It's just a game of cricket, not a war. It's not the way the way life should be or sport should be," he said.