First and foremost, my thoughts are with all the innocent people who lost their lives or were injured in the horrific attack in Bondi on Sunday. It is an event that will devastate families forever, and for what?

I am in Australia covering the Ashes and have my family with me, staying in the neighbouring suburb of Coogee. We were just a few hundred metres from the attack, locked down in Totti’s restaurant.

Like most people, I have been at home watching terrorist attacks unfold in London, or Manchester, near where I live. That all feels very close to home and is scary. But to be so close that you can hear it happening is terrifying.

At first, I heard the very loud sirens and thought it was a shark attack. Usually, when you hear that sound on the beach, it’s sharks or a couple of well-oiled blokes brawling.

But it quickly became clear it was even more concerning than that. As we waited for our table at the restaurant, we were having a drink in the Royal pub next door, and I was on the phone outside. The bouncer walked over with his hands in a gun sign and told me to get inside.

By the time we........

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