Karachi, Dec 22 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will host a reception the Under-19 team, which defeated India in the finals of the just-concluded Asia Cup in Dubai, as the country celebrates a rare cricketing triumph over the arch-foes from across the border.
The team was welcomed back warmly at the Islamabad airport in a reception that is “usually reserved only for senior teams.” The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, has already declared the win as a major achievement for the game in the country.
Junior level cricket mostly goes under the radar in Pakistan but the Under-19 triumph over India triggered a celebratory welcome for the side at the airport.
Sameer Minhas, who scored a 172 in the final on Sunday, and fast bowler Ali Reza, who took four wickets, are being hailed as “finds” for Pakistan cricket.
The PCB Chairman, also the current head of the Asian Cricket Council and Federal Minister for Interior affairs, has been at the centre of a massive tussle between the two countries since the senior Asia Cup.
The Indian team had refused to accept the winners’ trophy from him on September 28 in Dubai.
That trophy still remains in the ACC offices in Dubai with the matter unresolved as Naqvi has insisted that the Indians have to accept the trophy from him in a media covered event.
Naqvi, it is being reported, has announced cash prizes of PKR five million each for the junior team players, which is unheard of in Pakistan cricket. PTI Cor PM PM PM
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