KARACHI: During a meet and greet with fans and journalists as part of the buildup to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 which starts in England today, the captains of the ten participating teams were asked by an audience member: If you could add one player to your squad from any of the other teams, who would you choose?
“I think for me [it would be] Jos Butler,” Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said, referring to one of England’s best batters. Intriguingly, Butler is also England’s main wicket keeper, the same role Ahmed performs for his side.
Pakistan has borne the brunt of some of Buttler’s most breathtaking innings of late and Ahmed probably picked the English player because of his batting, rather than his wicket keeping, skills. Even so, the choice inadvertently cast Ahmed in comparison to Butler and highlighted the degree to which many players on the Pakistani side are less talented, less exciting versions of their opponents.
This might seem harsh given that Pakistan won the last major multi-team tournament, the Champions Trophy, held in England two years ago. Since then, however, the team’s record has been subpar and the manner of its play, old-fashioned and one-dimensional, has caused both panic and despair among fans and experts. Most recently, Pakistan ended a five-match One Day International series against England — their final preparation ahead of the World Cup — empty-handed.
“The bowling and fielding has not been up to the mark,” skipper Ahmed said after the final ODI. “It’s not ideal for the World Cup, but I’m confident my batsmen are ready.”
In a forecast piece ahead of the series kick-off, Guardian Sports said about Team Pakistan on Wednesday: “Famously hopeless till it matters, their ludicrously bad fielding during the whitewash by England means only one thing: they’ve got something up their sleeve.”
Indeed, despite the blistering loss against England, there might be some good news for Pakistan: World Cups in any sport are never truly representative of what comes before and after and have a habit of distorting form and rewarding luck.
“Pakistan are Pakistan — they will find a way of making the top four,” former England captain Michael Vaughan told the BBC on Tuesday. Ebony Rainford-Brent, 2009 Women’s World Cup winner with England, has said: “Pakistan are my wildcard — whether they have form or not, they find something in big tournaments.”
Other teams may surprise in other ways. Consider South Africa, whose captain Faff du Plessis answered the same question asked of the Pakistani skipper by naming several players for his hypothetical squad. Unable to pick just one player, Du Plessis’s flustered response under pressure seemed to mirror his team’s fate in earlier World Cups. Since their return to international cricket in 1992 following an apartheid-era ban, South Africa have entered every single tournament as one of the most dominant sides, only to lose when the stakes get high.
Also take the example of England. Currently the number one team in the world, England were last a World Cup favorite when the USSR was a stable world power. The country that founded cricket has never won a World Cup and in the last tournament in 2015, it finished as the laughing stock at the group stage. In the four years since, however, England’s revamp has been Stalinesque in its efficiency: no other team has scored more runs per over in ODI cricket or broken the 500 mark.
In light of this, the answer England captain Eoin Morgan gave when asked which player he would pick for his dream team spoke volumes about how meticulous his team’s effort has been to transform itself and reach the apex of world cricket. Instead of selecting a player, Morgan said he would pick Ricky Ponting, a notable Australian ex-cricketer and current coach — a choice that betrayed the ruthless desire to hunt for any extra advantage by a team leader who understands that his side’s very strength, an aggressive approach with the bat, has made it the most consistent team in the ODI format but can also be a recipe for collapse in the more bowling-friendly conditions often precipitated by the greatest villain in English history: the weather.
But as Indian captain Virat Kohli has said, dealing with “pressure is the most important thing in the World Cup and not necessarily the conditions.” Some of the favorites might start off strong but experience and nous could well trump skill and talent as the tournament progresses.
There are few better examples of this than the experience of Imran Khan in the 1987 and 1992 World Cups. His team entered the former as the only real challenger to a West Indies team now considered the greatest side ever. Khan proved himself one of the world’s best performers and led a talented, successful and heavily favored side that even defeated rivals West Indies, only for a shock loss to Australia in the semifinal at Lahore.
Five years later, Khan, a shadow of his former self, led an inexperienced team into the 1992 World Cup but ended up winning the series — a turnaround, and a narrative, so thrilling and dramatic it swept him to political power and landed him in the prime minister’s chair over two decades later.
This example, more perhaps than any other, shows how much the World Cup is a game of surprises and shocks, where great heroes make their final stands and new champions rise for the first time.
“It is 27 years since Pakistan won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup for the first time and this year feels like it did back then,” former Pakistani test captain Waqar Younis, who was part of the 1992 squad at the World Cup, told ICC in an interview this week. “No one gave us a chance and we arrived as the underdog. But momentum came and we won the whole thing. That is the beauty of Pakistan cricket.”
In good news for dark horse Pakistan, cricket World Cup is a game of surprises
In good news for dark horse Pakistan, cricket World Cup is a game of surprises
- World Cups are never truly representative of what comes before and after and have a habit of distorting form and rewarding luck
- Commentators call Pakistan a ‘wildcard’: “they will find a way of making the top four”
Pakistan reiterates support for peace and stability in Sudan as war rages on
- Pakistan’s foreign minister discusses bilateral ties, civil war in Sudan with Sudanese counterpart
- A 20-month civil war has killed over 24,000 in Sudan, driven more than 14 million from their homes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday reiterated Islamabad’s support for peace and stability in Sudan, reiterating the desire for his country to strengthen bilateral ties with the African country.
Sudanese people have suffered due to a 20-month civil war between the army and a paramilitary group that has killed over 24,000 and driven over 14 million from their homes in the country, according to the UN.
Dar received a telephone call from Dr. Ali Youssef Ahmed Al-Sharif, the foreign minister of Sudan, the foreign office said. The two discussed bilateral ties between Pakistan and Sudan, and the war in the African country.
“DPM/FM reiterated Pakistan’s historic and fraternal ties with the people of Sudan,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
“Expressed desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. Reassured Pakistan’s support for peace and stability in Sudan.”
Due to the prolonged war in the African country, an estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, to escape the horrors of the conflict, as per the UN.
Pakistan’s United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram this week raised alarm at the UN Security Council over the worsening food security situation in Sudan, urging both warring parties to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Akram called on the international community to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and bridge the 36 percent funding gap for humanitarian appeals relating to Sudan.
“The international community must unite to support a common vision for return to peace and normalcy in Sudan,” he said.
“Foreign interference in the internal conflict of Sudan must stop. The UNSC arms embargo on Sudan must be respected.”
Pakistan eyes enhanced trade with Indonesia ahead of its president’s visit
- Indonesia’s president is expected to visit Pakistan later in January to discuss trade, bilateral issues
- Planning minister calls for cooperation with Indonesia in education, health, information and tourism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has directed officials to devise a strategy to boost bilateral trade with Indonesia, state-run media reported on Thursday, as Islamabad gears up to welcome President Prabowo Subianto to the country later this month.
Pakistan and Indonesia have attempted to bolster their economic ties through trade and investment over the years. The two countries signed a Preferential Trade Agreement in 2012 that became operational in September 2013, allowing for concessional market access to 232 goods from Pakistan such as fresh fruits, cotton and fabrics, and 313 from Indonesia, such as edible palm oil products, sugar confectionaries and cocoa products.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that Subianto will be in Pakistan later this month an official visit to the country.
“The minister directed the relevant authorities to formulate concrete proposals to enhance trade relations, emphasizing the need to strategically target the Indonesian market to showcase Pakistani products effectively,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
Iqbal was speaking to officials while he chaired a meeting of a committee constituted by Sharif to enhance bilateral cooperation and trade between both countries ahead of Subianto’s visit.
“This landmark visit will open new avenues for trade and cooperation, further strengthening bilateral relations between Pakistan and Indonesia,” APP quoted Iqbal as saying.
“Indonesia has successfully integrated its cultural diversity into a unified identity. We can learn from their model.”
Iqbal stressed collaboration with Indonesia in the education, health, information technology and tourism sectors. He also suggested providing scholarships in IT and health care sectors to students from both countries.
In October last year, Pakistan and Indonesia signed bilateral trade pacts and memorandums of understanding worth $10.7 million during an Indonesian trade expo.
According to the Pakistan Business Council, the trade relationship between Pakistan and Indonesia holds significant potential for growth, with opportunities for increased cooperation in areas like agriculture, textiles, and energy.
Pakistani authorities report 70th polio case of 2024 from Karachi
- Onset of polio case took place in December 2024, say Pakistani health authorities
- Pakistan has reported 20 out of 70 poliovirus cases from southern Sindh province
KARACHI: Pakistani health authorities reported the country’s 70th poliovirus case of 2024 on Thursday, saying that its symptoms started becoming apparent in a child last month in the southern port city of Karachi, the polio eradication program said.
Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five are essential to provide high immunity against the disease.
As per the program, the onset of this case was on Dec. 21, 2024 and the case was reported in the Karachi East district. With the latest case, the district has now reported two polio cases from 2024.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in a male child from Karachi East,” the program said in a statement.
As per the latest toll, out of the 70 poliovirus cases of 2024, 27 have been reported from Balochistan, 21 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 20 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
The Pakistan Polio Program organizes several mass vaccination campaigns annually, delivering the vaccine directly to people’s doorsteps.
On Jan. 6, Pakistan concluded a week-long anti-polio drive in southwestern Balochistan.
The health ministry said the first nationwide polio campaign of this year is scheduled to take place from Feb. 3-9, urging the parents to ensure the safety of their children by welcoming the vaccinators.
Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners, who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies.
Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccination teams.
In the early 1990s, the country reported around 20,000 cases annually, but in 2018, the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan hopes Afghanistan joins other Islamic countries at girls’ education summit
- Pakistan to host global conference on girls education in Islamabad from Jan. 11-12
- No justification for restricting women’s education in Islam, says education minister
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s education minister on Thursday hoped Afghanistan would join representatives from 47 other Islamic countries and attend the upcoming global conference on girls’ education in Muslim countries, scheduled to be held later this week in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s education ministry will host the global conference titled: “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities” from Jan. 11-12 in Islamabad. Pakistan’s foreign office said on Wednesday that 150 representatives from 47 countries, including education experts, religious scholars, diplomats, and politicians are expected to partake in the summit.
Since the Afghan Taliban seized Kabul in August 2021, women and girls have been gradually barred from attending secondary school and university, undertaking most forms of paid employment, and attending public spaces such as public parks or gyms by the government there.
“We have extended an invitation to Afghanistan to participate in this conference and hope that their delegation will attend, as it is a very important neighboring country,” Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told reporters during a media briefing in Islamabad.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, at least 1.4 million Afghan girls have been denied access to secondary education, according to a report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released in August last year.
The minister said everyone respects tribal customs and cultures, but all such practices must align with Islamic values in Muslim countries, adding that nothing holds precedence over them.
“In Islam, there is no justification for restricting women’s education,” Siddiqui said.
He said that while the conference will officially kick off on Saturday, a session of the world’s religious scholars on girls’ education, chaired by the religion minister, will take place on Friday.
Siddiqui said the Muslim World League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and key Islamic countries are actively participating in this event.
“Malala Yousafzai, a renowned activist for girls’ education, will also participate in this conference,” he said, adding that experts and representatives from diplomatic missions in Islamabad from non-Muslim countries will also attend the event.
Describing the objective of the conference, he said the primary aim of the conference is to stress the implementation of the Islamic message, which clearly states that both men and women have the right to education.
“By promoting girls’ education, we can build better homes, a better society and a stronger nation,” he said.
He said education in Pakistan was currently in an emergency state as millions of children were out of school and needed important steps to deal with this situation.
Siddiqui said that an “Islamabad Declaration” will be announced after the conference on Sunday.
“This declaration will outline decisive steps to transform the trends of girls’ education in Islamic countries by mobilizing all available resources,” he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the event and deliver the keynote address at the opening session on Jan. 11.
Pakistan’s foreign office said Sharif will reaffirm the nation’s commitment to promoting girls’ education and gender equality.
Pakistan province calls for inquiry after Baloch separatists attack remote southwestern town
- Balochistan Liberation Army fighters torched Levies station, NADRA office before security forces moved in
- Strict action will be taken against district administration members found guilty of negligence, says official
QUETTA: The government in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Thursday called for an impartial inquiry into an attack by armed fighters from the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) group on a remote town in the country’s southwest before security forces regained control of it.
The attack in Zehri, located 150 kilometers from Khuzdar city, occurred when BLA fighters stormed the Levies force station on Wednesday and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office, setting the buildings ablaze and robbing a private bank.
Khuzdar deputy commissioner told Arab News that security forces retaliated in a timely manner and regained control of the area. One soldier of the Frontier Corps was injured during the standoff as the armed men escaped.
Shahid Rind, the spokesperson for the provincial government, said strict action would be taken against the district administration members found guilty of negligence during the attack and did not retaliate in a timely manner.
“Balochistan government has called for an impartial inquiry into the Zehri attack from all aspects,” Rind said in a statement, adding that the provincial home department had issued instructions to engage the civil administration in this regard.
Rind said law enforcement agencies are monitoring the situation in Zehri while the government has strengthened security arrangements in the entire province.
“The government has been taking concrete measures to uplift the performance of the civil administrations in the entire Balochistan to prevent attacks like Zehri in the future,” the spokesperson said.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and resource-rich province, has long been plagued by a low-level insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatist groups like the BLA. They accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper, while neglecting the local population.
Pakistan rejects these allegations, asserting that the federal government has prioritized Balochistan’s development by investing in health, education and infrastructure projects.
The BLA has become a significant security threat in recent years, carrying out major attacks in Balochistan and Sindh provinces targeting security forces, ethnic Punjabis and Chinese nationals working on development projects.
Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people over the past year, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.
