PM Khan meets cricket team, urges to play fearlessly

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday met with the squad of Pakistan’s T20 cricket team to boost their morale ahead of the T20 World Cup in UAE.

The players arrived at the PM’s Office while Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Rameez Raja was also present on the occasion. The prime minister met the national cricket team and gave them tips to become a successful cricketer while sharing his own success story.

PM Imran urged the players to keep their spirits high ahead of the world cup despite the cancellation of New Zealand and England tours. He urged the players to play fearless cricket during the world cup, saying that the players should seek revenge with their performance.

“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.

PM Imran Khan asked the team to perform like “cornered tigers” as his team played during the 1992 World Cup, which Pakistan won under his captaincy.

He said the whole nation wished their success for being the representatives of Pakistan in the world. “You have no dearth of talent as the whole world recognises the talent of Pakistan,” he remarked.

PM Imran Khan urged players to inculcate a team spirit and enter the playground with full confidence and passion to win. He 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.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Senator Faisal Javed said that the prime minister asked the players to play fearless cricket against India. 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 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.