PM lauds Cricket team’s performance
Announces Rs.100,000 for each player

ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday lauded the Pakistani cricketers’ triumph in the Test and One-Day series against England, hoping it will show no let-up in its sterling performances in international arena. He also announced Rs.100,000 for the national cricket team after its victory against the touring England team. President General Pervez Musharraf had also awarded Rs.200,000 to each member of the team on Sunday. The Prime Minister was addressing the national cricket team which beat England 2-0 in the three-Test series and has already clinched the One-Day rubber 3-1 with one match to go. He also performed the launching of a book titled “Cricket History of Pakistan”, authored by Dr. Nauman Niaz.
“You have done the Nation proud and brought smiles back on the faces of the people”, the Prime Minister told the national team at the reception with Federal Minister for Sports, Malik Muhammad Ajmal Khan, and the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, Shaharyar Khan, among those present on the occasion. He paid compliments to skipper Inzamamul Haq for his inspiring leadership not only against England but also in the previous encounters against India and West Indies.
“The skipper has provided inspiring leadership to the national cricket team, much as the government has guided the country to socio-economic progress during the past six years”, he said. He said the government policies had put the country on the right track of socio-economic progress.”We can achieve much by forging unity and discipline in our ranks the same way as the national team has become a cohesive unit under the leadership of Inzamamul Haq”.
He said that victories such as that achieved by Pakistan cricket team against England come as a great morale-booster for the nation. The Prime Minister hoped that the team would also win the fifth and last match of the One-Day series against England, to be played at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Shaukat Aziz recalled that there were comments on cricket in the background of England cricket team’s Pakistan tour when he was together with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian Prime Minister John Howard during the recent Commonwealth summit in Malta. He said the match between the two teams at Karachi had sent right signal to the world about holding international sports events.
Addressing coach Bob Woolmer in a lighter vein, the Prime Minister jested the Englishman must have learnt some Urdu also. He asked Kamran Akmal how many records the wicketkeeper-batsman, now also a makeshift opener, had broken. “We are proud of you”. He also asked regular opener Salman Butt whether he was of Kashmiri descent. Looking coy, Salman said he would have to ask his family about this.
Speaking on the occasion, skipper Inzamamul Haq said the meeting with the Prime Minister would inspire the players to bring more and more laurels for the Nation. The PCB Chairman, Shaharyar M. Khan, said discipline and commitment had turned the team into a winning combination. Later, launching the book “The Cricket History of Pakistan”, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the author, Dr. Nauman Niaz, had captured the essence and entire history of Pakistan cricket in his book.
“I must say it’s painstaking work. Cricket touches the hearts of Pakistanis and I am sure this work will be well received”, he said. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Nauman Niaz said he had consulted 50,000 newspapers and 8,000 books to produce the work. The entire national cricket team was present at the twin functions. Among them were—Inzamamul Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice captain), Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Akhter, Yasir Arafat, Yasir Hamid, Arshad Khan, Asim Kamal, Muhammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Abdur Razzaq, Shahid Afridi. Also attending the functions were former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis, the PCB Director Salim Altaf etc.—APP