Cricket team made nation proud by winning ICC Champions Trophy: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif hosted a grand reception in Islamabad in honour of the national cricket team that made history by defeating India in the final of ICC Champions Trophy at Oval.

The event was attended, among others, by Leader of the House in the Senate Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, members of the Federal Cabinet and officials of PCB.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister spoke high of the marvelous performance of the team and held out an assurance that his Government would do utmost for promotion of sports in the country.

He said Pakistan Cricket team has made the nation proud by winning the ICC Champions Trophy. He referred to the scarcity of playgrounds and assured that playgrounds with allied facilities would be constructed at all the union councils to offer facilities to the young budding players.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan had its self-respect and advised Najam Sethi not to beg any foreign team to come and play in the country.

Expressing his confidence, he said time was not far off when all the international cricket teams would line up to play with Pakistan team at its homeland.     

Nawaz Sharif likened Pakistan's cricket team's initial performance with the situation in Pakistan when he assumed power. He said with the prudent policies of the government and resolve of the nation, backbone of terrorists has been broken. The Prime Minister said economy of the country has been turned around, thousands of miles of roads and highways are being constructed across the country. He said it was government's untiring efforts that power plants are being completed in the country at a fast pace to cope with electricity shortage.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman Pakistan Super League Najam Sethi thanked the Prime Minister for his unflinching support to revive Pakistani cricket. He said that he was tasked to give a democratic constitution to the Pakistan Cricket Board, bring international best practices to the Pakistan cricket, and to revive international cricket in the country.-NNI