There shouldn\u2019t be any doubts on our performance, says Rizwan on eve of eight-team tournament
\n Islamabad
\nPakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan said on Tuesday the Champions Trophy would be a \u201chistoric occasion\u201d for the country, a day before the hosts kick the tournament off against New Zealand.
\nThe Champions Trophy is the first major cricket event hosted by Pakistan in nearly three decades and is regarded as second only to the World Cup in the one-day game.
\n\u201cA global event has come to Pakistan after 29 years so I think the whole nation should enjoy this historic occasion,\u201d Rizwan told a news conference on the eve of the tournament, which runs until March 9.
\nPakistan had been due to host the tournament in 2008 but was thrown into cricketing isolation by a security crisis as violence spilled over from the long-running war in neighbouring Afghanistan.
\nGunmen then attacked a bus carrying Sri Lanka\u2019s team in Lahore the following year, wounding several players and killing eight policemen and civilians.
\nHowever, major teams have toured Pakistan in the past five years as security improved, opening the way for the cricket-mad nation to stage the tournament.
\n\u201cPakistan 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,\u201d Rizwan said.
\nStill, the build-up has not been without problems after neighbours and arch-rivals India refused to play in Pakistan over long-standing political tensions. India will instead play their matches in Dubai.
\nPakistan\u2019s opponents in the tournament opener in Karachi beat them twice this month during a tri-series event that included South Africa.
\n\u201cThere shouldn\u2019t be any doubts on our performance,\u201d Rizwan said. \u201cWe may not have played on our abilities but we all want to win the event for the country and people.\u201d
\nRizwan hoped to have pace bowler Haris Rauf on the pitch after he suffered chest muscle strain in the match against New Zealand in Lahore last week.
\n\u201cHaris bowled 80 per cent yesterday and today he is bowling at his full rhythm and told us that he is not feeling any discomfort, so I hope he is fully fit,\u201d Rizwan said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There shouldn\u2019t be any doubts on our performance, says Rizwan on eve of eight-team tournament Islamabad Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan said on Tuesday the Champions Trophy would be a \u201chistoric occasion\u201d for the country, a day before the hosts kick the tournament off against New Zealand. The Champions Trophy is the first major cricket event […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":462464,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-462436","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n