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The Pakistani skipper Mohammad Rizwan said on Tuesday that the Champions Trophy would be a “historic opportunity” for the country, a day before the hosts reject the tournament against New Zealand.
The Champions Trophy is the first major cricket event organized by Pakistan in almost three decades and is considered second after the World Cup in a day match.
“A world event came to Pakistan after 29 years, so I think the whole nation should take advantage of this historic opportunity,” said Rizwan at a press conference on the eve of the tournament, which takes place until 9 March.
Pakistan was to host the tournament in 2008, but was thrown into the cricket isolation by a security crisis while violence spread over the longtime war in neighboring Afghanistan.
Islamist armed men then attacked a bus transporting the Sri Lanka team to Lahore the following year, injuring several players and killing eight police officers and civilians.
However, the big teams have visited Pakistan in the past five years, while security has improved, paving the way to the Nation of Cricket-Manuelle to organize the tournament.
“Pakistan has suffered enough and for a long time, but we have also won during this phase like the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup,” said Rizwan.
However, construction was not without problems after the neighbors and rivals of India refused to play Pakistan for longtime political tensions. India will rather play its matches in Dubai.
The opponents of Pakistan at the opening of the tournament in Karachi defeated them twice this month during a tri-series event which included South Africa.
“There should be no doubts about our performance,” said Rizwan. “We may not have played on our abilities, but we all want to win the event for the country and people.”
Rizwan hoped to have pace the Haris Rauf launcher on the field after having undergone thoracic muscle tension in the match against New Zealand in Lahore last week.
“Haris played 80% yesterday and today he bowling at his full pace and told us that he felt no discomfort, so I hope he is entirely in good shape,” said Rizwan.
The New Zealand senior striker Tom Latham said that he hoped that tri-series experience would help his team.
“We are lucky that we have been here for a few weeks and have played a little in Pakistan in the past three years,” said Latham whose team has won the previous trial final in Karachi.
“But it will be a new match (tomorrow) and a new field, so we have to settle quickly,” he added.
Latham also excluded the possibility that the Kyle Jamieson stimulator – which replaced Lockie Ferguson unfit in the team – playing on Wednesday, since Jamieson had to arrive the same day.
SH / SCO
