ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan and India readied for their World Cup contest on Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan advised the national cricket team to banish all fear of losing, give their best and fight till the last ball.
Unless pitch is damp, Sarfaraz must win the toss and bat, suggested the Prime Minister who had captained the 92-World Cup winning team. In a series of tweets, he said in order to have a winning offensive strategy Sarfraz must go in with specialist batsmen and bowlers because “Raillu Kattas” rarely performed under pressure especially the intense kind that would be generated today.
In Sarfraz, he said Pakistan was fortunate to have a bold captain and today, he would have to be at his daring best. He advised the team to banish all fears of losing from the mind as the mind could only process one thought at a time.
Fear of losing leads to a negative and defensive strategy and crucially mistakes by opponents are not pounced upon, he added. “Even though India may be the favourites, banish all fear of losing. Just give your best and fight till the last ball. Then accept whatever the result like true sportsmen. The nation’s prayers are with all of you. Good Luck,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said today, given the intensity of the match, both the teams would come under great mental pressure and the power of the mind would decide the outcome of the match today.
Khan said when he had started his cricketing career, he had assumed success was 70 per cent talent and 30 per cent mind. By the time, he finished playing cricket, he felt it was 50-50 ratio. “But now I tend to agree with my friend Gavaskar (former Indian cricketer), it’s 6O% mental strength and 40% talent. Today role of mind will be more than 60%,” he commented.