Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali reckons it will take a lot of years for Babar Azam and Pakistan cricket team to achieve what Javelin athlete Arshad Nadeem has achieved. Nadeem smashed the Olympic record as he launched a 92.7 meter throw to claim Pakistan’s first Gold medal in track and field at the Games.
The lanky athlete was in supreme form and breached the 90-m mark on two occasions in the Javelin throw final, which none of the other athletes could do. India’s Neeraj Chopra and Grenada’s Anderson Peters took the Silver and Bronze medal respectively.
Furthermore, this was Pakistan’s first medal in the Olympics after Barcelona 1992. Nadeem worked really hard on his game and he was able to reap rewards on the biggest sporting stage in the world.
Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, “Cricket is a different game. But the work that Arshad Nadeem has done for this country will take a lot of years for Babar Azam. Because Babar plays a team game. He does not play an individual game. Arshad plays individually. He got a gold medal alone.”
On the other hand, cricket will be reintroduced in the next Olympic Games, which will be hosted by Los Angeles. Ali reckons Pakistan cricket team can match Arshad Nadeem’s achievement by bagging a gold medal at the next Games.
“If the Pakistan cricket team goes to the Olympics in 2028 and wins a gold medal there, then we can draw comparisons. But at this time, there is no comparison of Babar to Arshad Nadeem. Arshad is a hero at this time.”
Meanwhile, Arshad Nadeem was congratulated by several Pakistan and Indian cricketers after he wrote a golden page in Pakistan’s Olympic history.
