The 2016 ICC World T20 trophy was unveiled at Peshawar’s Army Public School on Monday to pay homage to those who had lost their lives in a deadly Taliban attack on December 16, 2014.
The trophy was unveiled by students of APS during a ceremony which was also attended by Pakistan’s ODI captain Azhar Ali.
In his address at the ceremony, Azhar Ali said, “It is a proud moment for us to unveil the World T20 trophy here at APS Peshawar — the students of which sacrificed their lives for the country.”
Ali was hopeful of putting up a good show at the World T20. “We won it under Younis Khan in 2009 and we will hopefully win it again this year under Shahid Afridi’s captaincy,” he added.
Earlier, British boxer of Pakistani origin Amir Khan and Sri Lankan cricket legend Sanath Jayasuriya had visited the school to honour the victims of the carnage.
The terror attack had claimed over 150 lives, which included students, teachers and military commandos.
Pakistan has an impressive record in the World T20 tournaments. The greens have played two finals and two semi-finals in the five versions held so far.
In the upcoming event Pakistan will face arch-rivals India at Dharamshala on March 19 in a tough group which also features Australia and New Zealand.
The ICC World T20 trophy reached Peshawar on Sunday after the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to select APS as the venue to unveil it.
The trophy will arrive in Lahore on Tuesday, before it moves on to Bangladesh (14 &15 January) and then Sri Lanka (17 & 18 January). The ICC World Twenty20 2016 trophy embarked on a global journey from Mumbai on Sunday, 13 December and return to New Delhi on February 1.
As part of the Nissan Trophy Tour, the trophy is visiting 12 countries taking part in the tournament which will be staged in India from 11 March to 3 April 2016.
During its journey, the trophy has been on display at domestic and international matches, as well as at various public places, which will enable the fans to capture a very special moment with the most prestigious silverware in the shortest format of the world game.
That’s one way to pay tribute to the martyred student, and a good one. The trophy means so much to the country that has a passion towards the sport. This is why trophies are important as they help in motivating teams for its achievement.
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