Says Pakistan a safe country, international cricket will soon return
Staff Reporter Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday met with the squad of Pakistan’s T20 cricket team at the Prime Minister’s office to boost the morale of the boys ahead of the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in October-November in UAE.
Pakistani players arrived at the PM Office wearing traditional white shalwar kameez with blue vests. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman was also present on the occasion.
PM Imran urged the players to keep their spirits high ahead of the world cup despite the cancellation of New Zealand and England tours.
The premier urged the players to play fearless cricket during the world cup, saying that the players should seek revenge with their performance after cancellation of two major tours.
“Pakistan is a safe country. You should focus on improving your performances… God willing, Pakistan will host international cricket soon,” PM Imran was quoted as saying to the players.
Imran Khan asked the team to perform like “cornered tigers” as his team played during the 1992 World Cup, which Pakistan won under the captaincy of the prime minister himself.
The premier had special directions for captain Babar Azam. “You must lead the team from the front, take everyone along and play like lions,” he urged Babar.
He also told players not to panic. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Senator Faisal Javed said that the prime minister asked the players to play fearless cricket against India and capitalise on the chances provided by the rival team.
He quoted PM Imran as saying to the players that they can only put in hard work and Allah will give reward for it.
Faisal said that the premier also insisted on merit-based selection
Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill, speaking on the occasion, said that PCB chief Ramiz Raja during the meeting said that Pakistan won 21 out of 22 matches against India under the captaincy of Imran Khan.
He said that the premier also lauded the batting technique of Babar Azam. The captain is a very important person in a cricket team and a good captain can built a winning unit under his wings, Shahbaz quoted PM Imran as saying to Babar.
The meeting between the cricket squad and the premier came days after the cricket teams of New Zealand and England cancelled their tours of Pakistan.
