Pakistani cricketers buck up 'javelin hero' Arshad Nadeem

Pakistani cricketers have thrown their weight behind "javelin hero" Arshad Nadeem, who has generated hope among the masses of ending Pakistan's medal drought in Olympics. 

Arshad Nadeem will compete for the final of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 men's javelin throw competition on Saturday. 

Pakistani fast bowlers Wahab Riaz and Hassan Ali tweeted messages of support for the start athlete. 

"A wonderful performance by our javelin hero @ArshadJavelin. Qualifying for the final of #Tokyo2020 and making us all proud. All the best Arshad," Wahab Riaz tweeted. 

"Our hero from Mian Channu @ArshadJavelin. Mubarak on reaching the final achievement, insha'Allah you'll make Pakistan proud! Lots of Duas," tweeted Hassan Ali. 

In his message, all-rounder Imad Wasim said, "we're super proud of you."

Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal praised Nadeem's impressive throw and wished him the best for the final. 

Arshad Nadeem is the first-ever Pakistani athlete to qualify for the final of any track and field event in the Olympics.

In his first attempt, the 24-year-old Pakistani athlete could reach the 78.5m mark but in the second attempt, Arshad created history with a throw of 85.16m that also placed him on top of group B.

This was overall the third-best throw in the contest after India’s Neeraj Chopra (86.65m) and Germany’s Johannes Vetter (85.64m).

Earlier this year, Arshad threw the javelin to a distance of 86.39m for his personal best and a national record during the Imam Reza championship in Iran. Earlier in 2019, he threw 86.29m at South Asian Games in Nepal.