Musharraf inspires team with a pep-talk

Dubai: It was the best possible morale boost that Inzamam-ul-Haq and his men could have asked for.

President General Pervez Musharraf, who is also the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board, urged the players to fight and regain the World Cup which they won under Imran Khan in 1992.

General Musharraf is well known for his inspirational speeches and this newspaper was made available the extracts of his speech in Lahore.

After reminding the players that they have the talent and skill to beat any top team of the world, he said: "What is needed is determination and the right approach. Walk into the field with a positive mind to beat the opponents and you will be able to defeat any opponent - no matter how strong or top-ranked they are in the world," said Musharraf.

The President asked the players to forget what happened in the past, possibly referring to the recent one-day and Test series defeat in South Africa.

Lot of improvement

"We have improved a lot during the last three years and we should not be disappointed by our results in the last few months," he added.

"Great people do not lose hope, no matter how much they suffer from the setbacks. For them, every set back serves as a lesson to improve further. They draw inspiration from such setbacks to do better," said Musharraf.

"If one walks into the arena with the thought that he we will lose then it will be difficult to perform at the highest level. If you have the will and determination, then one can fight back even from the toughest of situations," said Musharraf, who watches cricket despite his tight schedule.

Musharraf, after meeting all the members of the team, told Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq: "The people of Pakistan are expecting a lot from your team and as a captain, you have a big responsibility. You must inspire them to do well, motivate them continuously and mould them into a winning combination."

Inzamam-ul-Haq assured that his team will fight unitedly to win the World Cup.