TAUNTON, United Kingdom: Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said his side’s had to raise their fielding standards ahead of a crucial World Cup match against arch-rivals India at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Pakistan once again produced some sloppy out-cricket in a 41-run group stage defeat by champions Australia at Taunton on Wednesday, dropping three catches amid other misfields.
“We need to improve because if we want to beat bigger teams like Australia and India then all three aspects of the game are crucial,” said Sarfaraz.
“Definitely I think the fielding needs improvement — the fielding is not up to the mark,” the wicket-keeper admitted. “We work together again, and work hard before the India match.”
Pakistan have never beaten India in six World Cup matches dating back to 1992.
Pakistan could have derailed Australia at the start, after Sarfaraz won the toss and opted to field first.
But first slip Asif Ali dropped Aaron Finch off paceman Wahab Riaz when the Australian skipper was on 26 with the total at 67.
Finch (82) and David Warner (107) took the opening stand to 146 before Mohammad Amir turned the match on its head with a career best 5-30 as Australia were bowled out for 307 in 49 overs.
Sarfaraz said Pakistan had made too many mistakes of their own in a match where they were dismissed for 266 in 45.4 overs.
They now have three points from four games, with two defeats, one win — a surprise success over tournament hosts and favorites England — and a no-result.
“We committed more mistakes than Australia,” said Sarfaraz. “We won a good toss but didn’t bowl well in the first 30 overs.”
Sarfaraz added a rapid collapse that saw three wickets lost for 11 runs as Pakistan slumped to 147-5 had also proved costly.
“I think losing three wickets in the space of 15 balls was the turning point.
“Babar (Azam, who made 30 including seven fours) was playing well and his was a soft dismissal.”
Mohammad Hafeez also fell when well set, for 46, when he hit a Finch full toss straight to deep square leg.
“The ball which Mohammad Hafeez got out to was a loose one — it should have gone over the fence,” said Sarfaraz.
“We have to overcome our mistakes because India are also a very strong team. We will assess our performance and then we will plan.”
Sarfaraz warns Pakistan must improve ahead of India clash
Sarfaraz warns Pakistan must improve ahead of India clash
- Says Pakistan made too many mistakes in Wednesday's match where they were dismissed for 266 in 45.4 overs
- Pakistan faces India on Sunday, has never beaten the side in six World Cup matches since 1992
Pakistan assumes Asian Cricket Council presidency, vows to accelerate sport’s global influence
- Defending champions India are scheduled to host Asia Cup later this year in T20 format
- ACC, governing body for cricket in Asia, includes Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday assumed the presidency of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), the board confirmed, vowing to enhance the sport’s global influence.
The ACC is the governing body for cricket in Asia, established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport across the continent. It organizes major tournaments like the Asia Cup and works to improve cricket standards, provide financial support and strengthen ties between member countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka held ACC’s presidency before Pakistan officially took over the post from it on Apr. 3, according to the PCB.
“In accordance with the decision of the Asian Cricket Council, Pakistan has officially taken over the presidency from Sri Lanka Cricket,” the PCB said in a statement.
“Effective immediately, Pakistan will lead the council in its mission to promote and expand cricket across the Asian continent.”
It added that the ACC was “poised to strengthen and expand” cricket’s presence across Asia by fostering growth and unity within the sport.
Meanwhile, in a press release, the ACC quoted Naqvi as saying that he was honored to assume the regional cricketing body’s presidency.
“Asia remains the heartbeat of world cricket and I am committed to working with all member boards to accelerate the game’s growth and global influence,” he said.
“Together, we will unlock new opportunities, foster greater collaboration and take Asian cricket to unprecedented heights.”
The PCB chief also extended his sincere wishes to outgoing ACC president Shammi Silva from Sri Lanka for his leadership and contributions during his tenure.
India will host the next edition of the Men’s Asia Cup cricket tournament in the T20 format in 2025 as a precursor to the T20 World Cup scheduled in the country in 2026.
The 2023 edition, hosted by the PCB, was held in a “hybrid model” as India refused to travel to Pakistan and played their matches in Sri Lanka.
India are the defending Asia Cup champions, and have won three of the last four editions of the tournament. They beat Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final of last year’s 50-overs edition in Colombo.
Washington’s reciprocal tariff to have ‘mixed’ impact on Pakistan’s exports— analysts
- United States is Pakistan’s largest export destination, importing $5.44 billion of Pakistan’s goods last year
- Analysts say Pakistan exports will become cheaper than those offered by countries hit harder by tariffs
KARACHI: The impact of US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a reciprocal tariff of 29 percent on Pakistan’s exports is likely to have a “mixed” impact, financial analysts said on Thursday, pointing out that the wide-ranging tariffs will make exports offered by Islamabad’s rivals also costlier.
Trump announced the decision to impose sanctions on several countries on Thursday, defending the measures as necessary to address long-standing trade imbalances and what he described as unfair treatment of American goods abroad.
The US is Pakistan’s largest export destination, as it imported $5.44 billion of Pakistani goods last year, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This fiscal year from July through February Pakistan earned $4 billion from its exports to the US, which registered a 10 percent increase over its $3.63 billion exports to the country in the same period last year.
“The impact of these tariffs is expected to be mixed on Pakistan’s exports,” Samiullah Tariq, the group head of research and product development at the Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company Ltd., told Arab News.
Last year, Pakistan’s total exports rose 11 percent to $30.7 billion from $27.7 billion compared to 2023, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
Tariq said Pakistani goods would become cheaper than those offered by Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and Cambodia, on whom the Trump administration imposed higher tariffs.
However, he explained that countries such as India, Jordan, Turkiye and certain Central American nations had been targeted with comparatively lower tariffs, making Pakistani goods costlier.
Washington has imposed tariffs of 37 percent, 34 percent, 46 percent and 49 percent on Bangladesh, China, Vietnam and Cambodia, respectively. It targeted India, Jordan and Turkiye with tariffs of 26 percent, 20 percent and 10 percent respectively.
“Duties imposed on China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh are higher than Pakistan, while duties imposed on India are 300bps lower than Pakistan,” Topline Securities, a Karachi-based brokerage firm, noted in a report to clients.
TEXTILE TO TAKE A HIT
However, Sana Tawfiq, the head of research at Arif Habib Ltd. said the tariff would test the mettle of Pakistan’s export sector.
“About 90 percent of our total exports to the US account for textiles that are expected to take a hit,” she told Arab News.
She said some food and cement industries are also expected to “feel the pressure.”
“To mitigate the impact, Pakistan must adopt a reciprocal and strategic approach, including reducing energy costs, negotiating tariff relief, and diversifying trade markets,” Tawfiq noted.
Topline Securities also said Pakistani textile exports may bear the brunt of the tariff imposition.
“Theoretically, due to Pakistan’s duty disadvantage with India, Pakistan textile exports may face some pressure,” the brokerage firm said.
Trump’s decision is expected to set back Pakistan’s efforts to revive its economy with the help of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) bailout packages.
The lender wants Islamabad to increase its revenues, attract foreign investments and enhance exports to cope with its longstanding balance of payment crisis.
As per Topline Securities’ report, Pakistan’s stock market closed Thursday’s session with the benchmark KSE-100 index gaining 0.96 percent to close at 118,938 points.
“Worries over 29 percent massive US reciprocal tariff levies on Pakistan and global equity selloff invited early session pressure,” Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities Ltd., told Arab News.
Pakistan may face increased competition in Europe as countries such as China, Vietnam and Bangladesh, hit harder with Washington’s tariffs, are expected to divert some of their exports from the US to European countries, Topline Securities said in its report.
Khurram Mukhtar, the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), remained confident Pakistan would continue to enjoy a competitive edge over major textile-exporting countries to the US.
“Despite the tariff adjustments, Pakistan will continue to maintain a competitive edge over major textile-exporting countries to the US, owing to its complete supply chain, quality standards and established trade relationships,” Mukhtar told Arab News.
Pakistan fined again for slow ODI over-rate in New Zealand
- Pakistan players fined 5 percent of match fees for being one over short of target on Wednesday
- Visiting team was two overs short, fined 10 percent after losing first ODI by 73 runs on Saturday
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Pakistan has been penalized for a slow over-rate against New Zealand in their second one-day international in Hamilton this week.
Match referee Jeff Crowe fined the Pakistan players 5 percent of their match fees after they were one over short of the target on Wednesday after the time allowances were taken into consideration. New Zealand won by 84 runs.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan “pleaded guilty to the offense and accepted the sanction, eliminating the need for a formal hearing,” the International Cricket Council said on Thursday.
It was the second consecutive match after which Pakistan was fined for a slow over-rate.
The visiting team was two overs short of the target and fined 10 percent after losing the first ODI by 73 runs at Napier last Saturday.
The third and last ODI is at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
Pakistan’s inflation rate dropped to 0.7 percent in March, lowest in six decades
- Pakistan’s inflation rate stood at 1.5 percent in February and at 20.7 percent during March 2024
- Prices of fresh fruits, eggs, sugar, chicken and readymade garments increased month-on-month
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate dropped to 0.7 percent in March on a year-on-year basis, the country’s statistics bureau said on Thursday, the lowest in six decades amid signs of economic recovery.
Pakistan’s inflation rate stood at 1.5 percent in February and 20.7 percent in March 2024, according to data shared by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in its monthly review of price indices report.
On a month-on-month basis, it increased by 0.9 percent in March as compared to a decrease of 0.8 percent in February. It increased by 1.7 percent in March 2024.
“CPI inflation general decreased to 0.7 percent on year-on-year basis in March 2025 as compared to 1.5 percent of the previous month and 20.7 percent in March 2024,” the PBS said.
The commodities whose prices increased month-on-month included tomatoes (36.35 percent), fresh fruits (18.66 percent), eggs (14.92 percent), sugar (11.48 percent), chicken (10.87 percent), fresh vegetables (6.13 percent), butter (2.70 percent), neat (1.60 percent) and pulse moong (0.70 percent).
While prices of non-food items that increased month-on-month include readymade garments (2.15 percent), tailoring (1.84 percent), liquified hydrocarbons (1.83 percent), cotton cloth (1.74 percent), accommodation services (1.47 percent), hosiery (1.33 percent), education (1.23 percent) and plastic products.
Aggressive policy rate cuts by Pakistan’s central bank and a series of economic reforms by the government have led to a substantial decline in Pakistan’s annual inflation rate.
Pakistan’s inflation rate rose to a record high of 38 percent in May 2023 on account of surging food and fuel costs as Islamabad withdrew energy and fuel subsidies under a deal agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a financial bailout package.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Shehbaz Sharif said the reduction in prices was proof of the “right direction” of the government’s economic policies.
“Currently, the inflation rate in the country is at its lowest level in six decades,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.
“This year even during the month of Ramadan, the inflation rate was recorded at its lowest level in the last several decades,” he added.
Pakistan says has not extended Mar. 31 deadline for expulsion of Afghans
- Media reports claimed Pakistan extended deadline to beginning of next week as it coincided with Eid holidays
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government says has set up two camps in Peshawar and Landi Kotal for deportations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson on Thursday confirmed that the government has not extended its Mar. 31 expulsion deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, as the UN Refugee Agency expressed concerns over forced deportations and called on the government to show “leniency.”
Islamabad last month announced a deadline of Mar. 31 for Afghans in Pakistan holding ACCs, a certain immigration document, to leave the country. The move was part of Pakistan’s larger drive launched in 2023 to expel what it says are illegal immigrants from the country as it faced a surge in militant attacks.
AFP news agency reported that a government official, on condition of anonymity, said the deadline had been extended till the beginning of next week as it coincided with the Eid Al-Fitr holidays.
“No extension to the deadline for illegal foreigners and ACC-holder Afghans,” Shafqat Ali Khan, the foreign office spokesperson, told Arab News.
ACCs were issued by Pakistani authorities and are held by 800,000 Afghans, according to the United Nations.
More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold the UN-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards valid until June 30 are not part of the expulsion drive. Reports, however, suggest they are also being moved from Islamabad to Rawalpindi.
The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan, many having fled there over decades of war in their country and after the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.
UNHCR Pakistan spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi expressed concerns over the deportation drive and reports of arrests in Islamabad and Rawalpindi cities.
“We have expressed concerns over this deportation drive as we believe that ACC holders should be given sufficient time to return voluntarily, with dignity and safety,” Afridi told Arab News.
He said the UNHCR has received reports of Afghan nationals being arrested in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
“But these operations were already underway before the Mar. 31 deadline expired,” he said, adding that the UN agency does not have information about any increase in arrests after the deadline expired.
60 AFGHAN NATIONALS ARRESTED
A source in Islamabad’s district administration, speaking to Arab News on condition of anonymity, confirmed that 60 Afghan nationals had been arrested in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad after the deadline expired.
He said the operations were conducted based on intelligence reports in Islamabad and Rawalpindi jointly by police and intelligence agencies.
“Twenty-two individuals holding Afghan Citizen Cards were detained from Islamabad’s areas and 38 individuals were arrested from Rawalpindi,” he said.
He disclosed that the arrested Afghan nationals have been shifted to a temporary camp in Islamabad’s Old Hajji Camp area. He said after they have been registered, the Afghan nationals will be taken to the northwestern Landi Kotal town for further deportation process.
Afridi said the UNHCR was not directly involved in the process nor was it providing any support to the government.
“However, we believe they [Afghans] should be treated with leniency,” he said.
Anwer Shehzad, a focal person of the provincial government in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province for the repatriation drive, said the KP government has established two camps for the repatriation of Afghans. One was in Peshawar’s Regi area while the other one was in Landi Kotal.
“However, no Afghans have been relocated so far due to the Eid holidays,” Shehzad said. “As the deadline expired during the holidays, we have instructed all relevant authorities to begin shifting Afghans to these camps for further processing starting from Apr. 7.”
He said these camps have National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) counters, security officials and representatives from all relevant departments.
“NADRA will conduct biometric verification of all individuals before their departure to Afghanistan to ensure that, if they return, they can be properly identified,” he explained.
Shehzad said that since the government announced the deadline last month, around 100,000 Afghans have voluntarily returned to their homeland.
He added that as per the KP home department’s data, approximately more than 800,000 Afghans are yet to be repatriated.
“We will also provide all biometric data to the Pakistani embassy in Afghanistan to facilitate legal movement in the future,” Shehzad said.
Arab News contacted Pakistan’s interior ministry and the provinces of Punjab, Balochistan, and Sindh but did not receive a response from them by the time this report was filed.
Afghanistan has repeatedly called for the “dignified” return of Afghans from Pakistan, urging Islamabad not to expel them.
Following an ultimatum from Islamabad in late 2023 for undocumented Afghans to leave Pakistan, more than 800,000 Afghans returned between September 2023 and the end of 2024, according to the UN figures.
