Sharif wishes Pakistan team success in World Cup

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wished the Pakistan cricket team the very best for the ICC World Cup which got underway in Australia and New Zealand today.
The Pakistani premier issued a message which included best wishes to the Pakistan team for its first match against arch-rivals India in the World Cup at Adelaide tomorrow.
"The whole nation is praying for the success of the team and expects the boys to do their level best in this crucial fixture," Sharif said.
"Pakistan's cricket team has brought many laurels to the country in the past, and the nation wants it to keep the national flag fluttering high every time it enters the arena and give its very best in all fields of the game," his statement read.

Tomorrow's match has evoked an unprecedented wave of expectation and anticipation among Pakistanis with the theme being that Pakistan can beat India for the first time in a World Cup match after five previous failed attempts.
Such is the interest in the match that majority of the news channels are airing special World Cup shows with the flavor of the day being "Takras" where experts and former players from both countries take part in a war of words on different channels.

Nawaz Sharif's statement also added that despite a few setbacks the team has undergone recently, the players should have firm faith in their abilities and compete with confidence and resilience.

Not to be left behind, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Shaharyar Khan called up the team captain and players in Adelaide and spoke to them on speaker phone.
"The PCB chief basically tried to motivate the players by telling them to give their best and play without any fear of defeat," one board official said.
"Obviously everyone is into the match and Shaharyar Khan told the players they just need to give their best against India as it was a big match," the official added.