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Musharraf meets Indian team

By Faisal Shariff in Islamabad
Last updated on: March 17, 2004 19:08 IST
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The Indian and Pakistani teams met with Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf over tea on Wednesday.

The General addressed the teams for ten minutes and gave his insights into the game of cricket.

One of the Indian players described Musharraf as an "avid cricket buff".

"He is knowledgeable about the sport," he said.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf (L) chats with members of the touring Indian cricket team during a meeting in IslamabadThe General seemed in a frivolous mood when he said both teams had weapons of mass destruction. Obviously, he was referring to dashing Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.

The Pakistan premier said the ongoing series would help improve relations between the two nations.

It is a step forward for both sides, he added.

Picking his highlights from the first two One-day Internationals, he said: "Mohammad Kaif's catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik in the first one-dayer was brilliant as was the late rally by Indian tail-enders Ramesh Powar and Lakshmipathy Balaji in the second match that Pakistan won."

Musharraf also congratulated Inzamam-ul Haq and Sachin Tendulkar on reaching 9,000 and 13,000 ODI runs respectively.

The Indian team presented the General a bat that carried autographs of the entire team.

Photograph: STR/AFP/Getty Images

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Faisal Shariff in Islamabad

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