Zardari, Gilani congratulate Pakistan cricket team on reaching World Cup semifinal
March 24th, 2011 - 11:01 am ICT by ANI
Islamabad, Mar 24(ANI): Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani have congratulated the national cricket team on its big-margin win against West Indies in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal match at Mirpur, Bangladesh.
Both Zardari and Gilani commended all members of the Pakistan team on their excellent performance, and expressed the hope that they would play with the same zeal in the remaining World Cup matches, The Nation reports.
Pakistan Muslim League (N) Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, PML (Q) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and senior leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also felicitated the Pakistan team for their brilliant performance in the match.
Skipper Shahid Afridi spearheaded a spin assault on West Indies on Wednesday, taking four wickets for 30 runs, leading Pakistan to a 10-wicket victory to reach the World Cup semifinal for the first time since 1999.
It has been a remarkable comeback for Pakistan, which had been knocked out in the first round of the last World Cup four years ago, and had been engulfed by a number of controversies- including the spot-fixing scandal that surfaced last August- that resulted in a ban on three key Pakistani players last month.
Cricket lovers in the country celebrated their team’s victory as many of them came out on roads to celebrate the triumph, which coincided with the Pakistan Day.
Some of them were seen distributing sweets among the fans as they congratulated and greeted the Pakistan team on their superb and fantastic win against West Indies, hoping that their team will bring the World Cup trophy home and make the nation proud. (ANI)
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