The victorious Pakistani cricket team and its captain Sarfraz Ahmed received a grand welcome at Karachi Airport and then outside his house on the team's return with the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 on Tuesday morning. The fans sang patriotic songs and welcomed the players with garlands. The captain, who held the trophy aloft, was greeted with chants of "Long live Sarfraz."
Among those welcoming the returning heroes at the airport were Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair and Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar. The governor described the Champions Trophy as a gift for the whole nation Sarfraz Ahmed and pace bowler Rumman Raees landed in Karachi, and four team members, including Babar Azam and Hasan Ali, arrived in Lahore, and Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan reached Islamabad. The area where the captain lives was decorated with lights and Pakistan flags. In the nearby neighbourhood his young fans climbed on rooftops and balconies to watch him return.
"We played together as a team, and that is why you have all seen improvement in every department (of the game) after the first match defeat," the captain said. He called it a great sign that youngsters like Fakhar Zaman, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Fahim Ashraf and Hasan Ali performed so well.