Babar and Co have special message for fans ahead of National T20 Cup

Multan: Pakistan’s limited-overs captain along with his teammates have requested fans to support players in front of their TV sets as the upcoming National T20 Cup will be played behind closed doors.

The tournament is scheduled to start from September 30 to October 18 in Multan and Rawalpindi. Central Punjab’s captain Babar, Northern’s Haider Ali and Haris Rauf, Sindh’s captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, Southern Punjab’s captain Shan Masood expressed their views on the importance of fans as they will miss their presence in the stadiums.

Babar Azam (Central Punjab)

“The game is all about the fans, they are the ones who inspire and motivate us with their presence and support during good and bad days,” the 25-year-old said.

“In these challenging times, cricket is taking place and PTV Sports, the channel I grew up watching, will be relaying live pictures in every TV lounge to keep the fans connected and involved with the tournament,” he added.

“All I can request the fans on behalf of all competitors is to continue to support this tournament online and show the world through their positive engagement that we are one of the biggest sporting nations.”

Watch: Former stars pick their favorite teams in the National T20 Cup

Haider Ali (Northern)

“These are unprecedented times where we all have to make small sacrifices to keep the sport alive and healthy. We will miss the fans and the fans will miss live-action, but the coverage plan put in place provides great opportunities to all die-hard supporters to follow and support their favorite players and teams.”

“We all look forward to the fans’ support through various online platforms that will inspire us to produce our best performances.”

Haris Rauf (Northern)

“Fast bowlers, in particular, enjoy the crowds more as their voice and noise when they run into bowl motivates them to bowl faster.”

“I will miss that part in the National T20 Cup, but hopefully their backing in the lead-up matches through positive and supportive social media activations will give me that extra energy that will help me to contribute in my side’s title defence.”

Read: Six cricket associations announced squads for National T20 Cup

Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh)

“We will badly miss the fans but at the same time I have complete faith that they will support the players and the event offsite so that they can continue to play their pivotal role in cricket promotion.”

“I want the younger generation especially to follow the tournament but not at the cost of their education as academic institutions have just opened after a long closure and at no stage, they should sacrifice their studies.”

Shan Masood (Southern Punjab)

“The best part about cricket coming back home was to play in front of our supportive and knowledgeable people, but sadly with the Covid-19 situation that won’t be the case for the National T20 Cup and we are going to miss their lively presence.”

“I urge them to keep supporting all the competitors and the event by following the proceedings through television, live-streaming, mainstream media or social media.”

Babar Azam leads players' call for fans' support in #NationalT20Cup#HarHaalMainCricket pic.twitter.com/gu53A8OwBI

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 26, 2020

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