Sir Lanka tour beginning of new intl cricket era in Pakistan: President
He said jam-packed stadium explicitly expressed the love of Pakistanis for the game of cricket.
LAHORE (APP) – President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday said the tour of Sri Lankan cricket team to Pakistan was the beginning of a new era of international cricket in the country as it would encourage other nations to play the game on Pakistani grounds in near future.
"It is a new beginning of international cricket in Pakistan. The environment is ideal for the international cricket as the stadium packed with cricket crazy fans shows passion for the game," he said during his visit to the Gadaffi Stadium during the third and last T20 international between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The president, himself a keen cricket lover, recalled that he had witnessed the World Cup and other international cricket matches held in Pakistan in the past. The country, however, had been deprived of international cricket for the last many years, he added.
The visit of Lankan team and the jam-packed stadium, he said, explicitly expressed the love of Pakistanis for the game of cricket.
He showed gratitude to the visiting Sri Lankan team, saying their tour would serve as an inspiration for the other cricket teams to tour Pakistan.
President Alvi praised the performance of young Lankan side and noted that some of its senior players opted not to visit Pakistan.
"Now with young Lankan players dominating and exhibiting high class cricket, it would be difficult for the senior players to compete for a place in the team ," he added in a lighter vein.
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He said it was a good omen that the foreign cricket delegates belonging to England and Ireland Cricket Boards, who were also present during the match, would be monitoring the arrangements made for the safety and security of the foreign teams.
"I think the visits of foreign cricket delegates will also supplement the ongoing efforts of the Pakistan Cricket board for bringing back international cricket to the country," he said.
He also expressed his thanks to the cricket fans for supporting the cause of cricket and playing a big role in the resumption of international cricket in the country.
"Our nation is a cricket loving nation and it also takes part in healthy sporting activities," he said adding:" The tour of Sri Lankan team and participation of foreign players in the Pakistan Super League will contribute towards complete resumption of international cricket in the country." The president described the country a safe destination for foreign tourists as evident from their presence in large number in Northern Areas around the year.
"Due to conducive situation, many countries have changed their travel advisories regarding Pakistan, which is also encouraging their nationals to visit the most beautiful country in the world," he asserted.
He said domestic and local tourism had been promoted to a significant level during the past three years in Pakistan.
"We are gaining rapid increase in various types of tourism, including religious and sports, and specially cricket, and foreign teams visiting the country will play a big role in supplementing the ongoing efforts of government for the promotion of tourism in the country," he maintained.
He said the medical institutions, including Shoukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, had reported rise in breast cancer among the women, which was a worrying sign. Some 50 percent of cancer patients in the country were women, who were suffering from breast cancer and majority of them could not be cured due to not timely diagnoses.
President Arif Alvi called upon the women folk to remain vigilant about the disease by doing regular self check-ups and in case of any doubt they must consult a doctor without wasting any time to get timely treatment.
He called for launching collective efforts to create awareness among the people about the breast cancer. He praised the efforts of Pink Ribbon campaign and the Pakistan Cricket Board for creating awareness to overcome the breast cancer in Pakistan in the years to come.
