CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan’s accurate bowling attack tied down New Zealand between lunch and tea Monday on the second day of the second cricket test.
Even Kane Williamson, the New Zealand captain who has had scores of 251 and 129 in his last two innings, was hard-pressed to accelerate the scoring.
New Zealand added 79 runs for the loss of Ross Taylor’s wicket in the second session and was 145-3 at tea. Williamson had scored 40 in 149 minutes, Henry Nicholls scored 25 in 101 minutes and their 50 partnership spanned 105 deliveries.
A little flourish which brought three boundaries in the last three overs before tea bumped the run rate up to 2.8.
The first hour of the middle session produced only 30 runs from 14 overs as Taylor fell for 12 to the bowling of Mohammad Abbas and Williamson and Nicholls worked to staunch the fall of wickets.
New Zealand also lost the wickets of Tom Blundell and Tom Latham in the half hour before lunch after the pair had shared a 52-run opening stand. Taylor’s dismissal left New Zealand 71-3 and under pressure as it replied to Pakistan’s first innings of 297.
Nicholls also seemed to have fallen soon after lunch. When he was 3 and New Zealand was 74-3, Nicholls edged a ball from Shaheen Afridi to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Nicholls was walking when the television umpire called the front foot no ball by Afridi, which gave the New Zealander a very fortunate reprieve.
Naseem Shah later beat Nicholls with a yorker angled into the batsman which passed under the bat and grazed the off stump on the way to Rizwan.
The incidents were reminiscent of the start of Nicholl’s innings in the second test against the West Indies this summer when he was dropped three times on the way to 50 but went on the make 174, a career-best score.
Even Williamson, imperious in recent winnings, found batting difficult. The Pakistan bowlers, especially Afridi, generated pace and hit a relentlessly testing line. They stifled the back foot shots Nicholls and Williamson enjoy and worked on a full length outside off stump which made driving perilous.
Pakistan kept in two gullies at times to Williamson, who was aware of the danger and curbed his shot making outside off stump.
The pitch at Hagley Park mostly has retained its pace from the first day and the batsmen have been wary of any movement away from the bat.
New Zealand 145-3 at tea on day 2, 2nd test against Pakistan
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New Zealand 145-3 at tea on day 2, 2nd test against Pakistan
- Pakistan bowlers, especially Afridi, generated pace and hit a relentlessly testing line
- New Zealand also lost the wickets of Tom Blundell and Tom Latham in the half hour before lunch after the pair had shared a 52-run opening stand
Pakistan anti-terrorism court rejects Imran Khan’s bail plea in May 9 riots case
- Khan is facing charges of inciting attacks against military and government installations on May 9, 2023
- Judge notes Khan was found guilty of offenses, says found “no merits” in former premier’s bail petition
ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore this week rejected former prime minister Imran Khan’s request for bail in a case relating to nationwide riots that broke out in May 2023 after his brief detention on graft charges.
Supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after his brief arrest that day. The attacks took place a little over a year after Khan fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military, blaming the institution for colluding with his rivals to oust him from office in a parliamentary vote in April 2022. The military rejects his allegations.
Several cases against Khan and his party related to the May 9, 2023 violence were registered by the government, which also cracked down on his supporters allegedly involved in the riots. Khan’s party has distanced itself from the protests and accused the country’s intelligence agencies of framing his party for the violence. The military denies the accusations.
The ATC on Wednesday dismissed Khan’s petitions seeking post-arrest bail in eight May 9, 2023 cases, including an attack on a senior military commander’s residence. The judge had reserved the verdict in another case relating to an alleged attack on a police vehicle, which Justice Manzer Ali Gill announced on Saturday.
“Resultantly I found no merits in the bail petition in hand,” he said. “Hence the post-arrest bail of Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi stands dismissed.”
The judge noted in his written statement that Khan was not “an ordinary man,” adding that none within the PTI leadership even thinks about denying his directives. Gill said that as per police, all attacks on May 9 took place against military installations, police officials and government buildings, and that too on the same day.
The judge observed that the prosecution accused Khan of hatching a criminal conspiracy to attack government buildings and military installations.
“The offenses fall within the prohibitory clause of Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,” the judge noted. “Petitioner was found guilty.”
Khan, who remains a popular figure in Pakistan despite several court cases against him, has led a campaign of unprecedented defiance against the country’s powerful military. He also accuses the military of rigging the February 2024 polls in collusion with the election commission and his chief political rivals to keep him away from power.
The military rejects these allegations and insists it keeps away from politics.
Pakistan calls for sustainable interventions, strengthening health systems on World AIDS Day
- Around 88.4 million people in total have been affected HIV worldwide, says World Health Organization
- Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif resolves to expand access to essential health care services to all Pakistani citizens
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for strengthening health systems throughout the country and for sustainable interventions as the international community marks World AIDS Day today, Sunday.
Every year on Dec. 1, the international community marks World AIDS Day to unite people in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The day is marked to show strength and solidarity against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and to remember the lives lost to the disease.
HIV attacks and destroys the infection-fighting CD4 cells (CD4 T lymphocyte) of the immune system while AIDS is its most advanced form. People with HIV who are not on medication and do not have consistent control of their HIV can transmit it through sexual intercourse, sharing of needles, pregnancy and breastfeeding. If HIV is controlled, the risk of transmission is close to zero.
“By working together, we will continue to strengthen our health systems and expand access to essential services for our citizens,” Sharif said in a statement.
The Pakistani premier noted that HIV/AIDS remains a global health challenge and a significant socio-economic issue that threatens livelihoods, disrupts families and deepens inequalities.
“Despite our collective efforts, the HIV epidemic in Pakistan continues to grow, underscoring the need for bold, innovative, and sustainable interventions,” Sharif noted. “It is only through the strategy rooted in equality and inclusion that we can halt the spread of HIV.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 88.4 million people have been infected with the HIV virus since the beginning of the epidemic and about 42.3 million people have died of HIV in total.
Globally, 39.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2023. An estimated 0.6 percent of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions.
Pakistan deputy PM rejects accusations Imran Khan supporters were shot dead in protests
- Khan’s party shares death certificates allegedly of three supporters which says they were killed by gunshots
- Ishaq Dar urges PTI to provide “graves” and “dead bodies” to prove claims, accuses protesters of being violent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this week denied allegations the government had shot dead Imran Khan’s supporters in recent protests, as the former premier’s party alleged three of them were shot dead by law enforcers.
The PTI says at least 20 of its supporters were killed in this week’s clashes with law enforcers as thousands of Khan supporters marched toward Pakistan’s federal capital demanding Khan’s release from prison. The government rejects this and says four paramilitary personnel and a cop were killed by protesters.
On Saturday, the party shared the death certificates of three of its alleged supporters, Sardar Ali, Anees Shahzad Satii and Malik Mubeen, which said they were killed by gunshots. The certificates were prepared by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Federal Government Services Hospital in Islamabad.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday strongly refuted allegations of state brutality and indiscriminate firing by law enforcement authorities during recent clashes with protesters,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Dar described claims that Khan supporters suffered gunshot wounds and were subjected to unwarranted violence as “malicious” and “absolutely false,” urging them to provide evidence such as “graves and dead bodies” to substantiate the accusations.
The deputy premier said protesters came to the capital armed with heavy ammunition and tear gas canisters.
“The mob was determined to create chaos and ready to kill,” he was quoted as saying by the APP. “Our security and law enforcement agencies exercised maximum restraint with patience despite deaths within their ranks.”
The protest was called off after security forces raided the D-Chowk protest site in complete darkness soon after midnight on Wednesday, firing rubber bullets and tear gas, according to police and government officials who deny using live ammunition during the operation.
Rawalpindi police said this week that over 170 cops were injured in the protests and that police have arrested over 1,150 for clashing with law enforcers.
Pakistan to lock horns with Zimbabwe in first T20I in Bulawayo today
- Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series 2-1 last month
- Salman Agha to lead Pakistan as Pakistan rest regular skipper Rizwan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will lock horns with Zimbabwe in the first of a three-match T20I series in Bulawayo today, Sunday, state-run media said, after completing a 2-1 ODI series victory over the hosts this week.
After losing the first ODI against Zimbabwe last month, Pakistan beat the hosts by convincing margins in the second and third ODIs in Bulawayo.
Skipper Salman Agha will lead his side in the T20 fixture against Zimbabwe on Sunday, with the next two matches to follow on Dec. 3 and 5.
“The first T20I match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe will start at 1:30 p.m. local time on Sunday,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Saturday.
Pakistan announced late Friday that they were adding Saim Ayub, Aamer Jamal and Abrar Ahmed from the ODI squad into the T20I series following impressive showings over the past week.
The green shirts have rested Babar Azam, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi from the tour while white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan is also not part of the T20Is, with Agha taking his place as captain.
The match is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
Pakistan hikes petrol price by Rs3.72 per liter for next fortnight
- Government increases price after variations in petroleum products’ prices in international market, says Finance Division
- Pakistan revises petroleum prices every fortnight, which is also a key factor in increasing or reducing inflation in the country
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has increased the price of petrol for the next fortnight by Rs3.72 per liter due to varying prices of petroleum products in the international market, the Finance Division said this week.
Pakistan revises petroleum prices every fortnight. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers in Pakistan while any increase in the price of diesel is considered highly inflationary as it is mostly used to power heavy transport vehicles and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
The price of petrol has increased from Rs248.38 per liter to Rs252.10 per liter after the Rs3.72 hike, the Finance Division said.
“The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has worked out the consumer prices of petroleum products, based on the price variation in the international market,” it said on Saturday.
According to the notification, the price of high-speed diesel has seen an increase of Rs3.29 per liter, raising its price to Rs258.43 per liter.
Meanwhile, the price of kerosene oil has been reduced by Rs. 0.62 per liter, which means it is now being sold for Rs164.98. The price of light diesel oil has also seen a reduction of Rs0.48 per liter, lowering it to Rs151.73.
Fuel prices in energy-starved Pakistan are instrumental in contributing to inflation. The South Asian country saw inflation reach a record high of 38 percent in May 2023.
Pakistan’s finance ministry said this week that inflation, which was clocked at 7.2 percent in October, is expected to slow to 5.8-6.8 percent in November.
