Eyes on the prize: World cup trophy tours twin cities

Former national cricketers urge govt, PCB to strengthen the team

RAWALPINDI: The twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi got their first look at the cricket world cup trophy on Friday as continues its tour around the country.

Amid heavy security, the trophy was displayed at an event at a private school in Islamabad. In Rawalpindi, it was placed on a pedestal in the Rawalpindi cricket stadium — the only stadium in the twin cities which is rated to host an international match.

Former Pakistan cricket team vice-captain Kamran Akmal, former spin legend Abdul Qadir along with former captain Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif were present on the occasion.

Akmal stated that people should put the past behind them and move forward and urged the entire cricketing community to strive to win the cup, including curating local pitches to the kind players will find in England next year.

“It would be great if Pakistan wins the world cup,” he said, adding that if the team plays well, there is no reason they should not win the premier cricketing tournament.

The former vice-captain further urged the country’s apex cricketing body to confirm Sarfaraz Ahmed as the captain for the world cup team and select teams for the tournament now so that it has plenty of time for experiments and get into a settled rhythm before the tournament.

Qadir, who unveiled the trophy, urged world cup winner and now Prime Minister Imran Khan to pay more attention to the state of cricket in the country and to promote the sport.

He noted that the current crop of cricketers will have to work hard to stand a chance of winning the trophy.

“Cricket for Pakistanis is a craze,” he said.

At Rawalpindi stadium, a heavy contingent of police was deployed to guard the trophy. Many fans were not allowed inside the stadium to get a peek at the trophy with officials stating that only select people had been cleared to enter the stadium for the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2018.