ISLAMABAD: Legendary batsman Javed Miandad on Wednesday said that Sri Lankan team’s tour to Lahore for the last Twenty20 gives a clear message to the whole world that Pakistan has come out victorious from the menace of terrorism with the revival of international cricket in Pakistan.
Pakistan will play three T20s against Sri Lanka with the first and second to be played on Thursday and Friday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. The final T20 will be staged at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday (October 29).
Talking to APP, Miandad said that Sri Lanka’s tour to Pakistan which had been a victim of terrorism in 2009 in Lahore is a great achievement for Pakistani cricket.
“The Gaddafi Stadium was seen jam packed in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final and the Independence Cup matches between World XI and Pakistan which shows our nation was starved for international cricket for a long time,” he said.
Miandad said that no country is safe from the menace of terrorism but the security situation in Pakistan has improved. “I urge international teams to come here and play as Pakistan is a safe and sport-loving nation who has a great respect and love for humanity,” he said.
Speaking about the Pakistan-Sri Lanka T20 series, Miandad said that the Pakistani team showed a superb performance sealing a 5-0 clean sweep in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. “My advice to Pakistan is to forget the past (ODI series win) and just focus on the T20 series now,” he said.
He said each player’s top priority should be to improve their physical fitness and performance in order to groom themselves. “Cricket is the bread and butter of players and you can only stay in the game by performing well,” he said.
