RAWALPINDI: Captain Babar Azam and Fawad Alam revived Pakistan with a century stand to be 145-3 at tea after South Africa reduced them to 22-3 on the first day of the second cricket test on Thursday.
Babar raised his 16th test half-century and was unbeaten on 77 with a dozen boundaries while left-handed Alam continued his rich batting form to reach 42 off 138 balls.
Babar and Alam were sharing a 123-run stand.
Pakistan was in trouble early after left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took two wickets in 10 balls and fast bowler Andrich Nortje had Abid Ali caught at forward short leg.
But Babar and Alam put the innings back on track as the ball got older in the middle session on a dry pitch which eased out for batting.
Babar caressed the offside field through some crisp cover drives and was equally good off his back foot against the three fast bowlers.
The Pakistan skipper completed his fifty with a flicked boundary off Wiaan Mulder -- the only change the Proteas made from the team which lost the first test by seven wickets at Karachi last week.
Alam scored a gritty century in the first test and continued to frustrate South Africa with his open chested batting stance.
South Africa had an injury scare when spinner George Linde left the field in the first session after the left-arm spinner tried to stop a hard drive off Babar off his own bowling. Linde didn’t sustain a fracture but required stitches on his little finger.
Linde didn’t return to the field in the middle session and South Africa management said he was subject to further testing.
Earlier, Proteas’ skipper Quinton de Kock read the dry pitch well as the visitors snapped up three wickets for one run within four overs after Babar won the toss and elected to bat.
Maharaj could have dismissed Imran Butt off his first ball only to see Temba Bavuma miss a regulation slip catch. But Maharaj, who got plenty of spin and awkward bounce off the pitch, struck in his third over and the eighth of the day when Butt, on 15, got a thin edge and de Kock hold onto a sharp catch behind the wickets.
Azhar Ali struggled for nine deliveries and fell for a duck when Maharaj trapped the former Pakistan skipper off a full-pitched delivery that skidded through the right-hander.
Aiden Markram then snapped a sharp reflex catch of Abid Ali on 6 at forward short leg off Nortje’s short-pitched delivery to have Pakistan 22-3.
Pakistan retained the playing XI which won the first test. Left-arm spinner Nauman Ali, who became the oldest test cricketer in 72 years to take a 5-for in an innings on test debut, got another chance on a dry pitch similar to Karachi. Nauman, 34, and leg spinner Yasir Shah shared 14 wickets.
Babar and Alam revive Pakistan to 145-3 at tea in 2nd test
https://arab.news/mcjjc
Babar and Alam revive Pakistan to 145-3 at tea in 2nd test
- Pakistan was in trouble early after left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj took two wickets in 10 balls
- South Africa had an injury scare when spinner George Linde left the field in the first session
Chinese official criticizes Pakistan’s ‘false rhetoric’ on economic corridor, raises ‘serious’ security concerns — report
- Shengjie says Pakistan’s rhetoric has given “unrealistic expectations” to locals
- Recent attacks have forced Beijing to publicly criticize Pakistan over security lapses
ISLAMABAD: China’s political secretary to Islamabad, Wang Shengjie, has criticized Pakistan’s “false rhetoric” around projects that are part of a joint multi-billion-dollar economic corridor, expressing “serious concerns” over the scheme’s future due to security challenges, a recent report in the Guardian newspaper said.
Beijing has pledged to build energy, infrastructure and other projects as part of the over $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) scheme launched in 2015 as a flagship of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative to grant China access to trade routes in Asia and Africa.
Recent attacks, including one in October 2024 in which two Chinese workers were killed in a suicide bombing in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, have forced Beijing to publicly criticize Pakistan over security lapses and media has widely reported in recent months that China wants its own security forces on the ground to protect its nationals and projects, a demand Islamabad has long resisted.
Progress on the economic corridor has been slow, particularly in the restive southwestern Balochistan province where China is building a deep-sea port and last week opened Pakistan’s largest airport in the coastal town of Gwadar, among other mega projects. Ethnic separatist groups target Chinese interests in the area, blaming both the governments in Pakistan and China of exploiting the province’s natural resources and neglecting the local population, allegations both Beijing and Islamabad deny. Gwadar residents have held intermittent protests for months, saying Chinese projects in the area have not improved the lives of the local population.
In a report published in the Guardian on Sunday, Shengjie spoke about enduring security challenges in Pakistan.
“Shengjie accused the Pakistani government of using ‘false rhetoric’ around CPEC projects, which had given unrealistic expectations to locals,” the Guardian reported on Sunday,
“We don’t work in rhetoric like Pakistan – we just focus on development,” he was quoted as saying. “If this kind of security situation persists, it will hamper development.”
The report said the Chinese official expressed “serious concerns” over the future of CPEC due to security challenges.
“If the security is not improved, who would come and work in this environment? There is hatred against the Chinese in Gwadar and Balochistan,” Shengjie was quoted as saying . “Some evil forces are against the CPEC, and they want to sabotage it.”
Pakistan has repeatedly assured China it would protect its nationals in the country from militant outfits and has tightened security protocols for Chinese investors and nationals. Islamabad says attacks on Chinese nationals are an “international conspiracy” to sour ties between the two longtime allies.
Pakistan condemns attack on Saudi Hospital in Sudan, killing at least 70
- War between Sudan’s army and Rapid Support Forces broke out in 2023 due to disputes over integration of two forces
- Conflict has killed tens of thousands, driven millions from their homes and plunged half of the population into hunger
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday condemned a drone attack that killed at least 70 people at the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital in the city of El-Fasher in Sudan, the foreign office said.
The war between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which broke out in April 2023 due to disputes over the integration of the two forces, has killed tens of thousands, driven millions from their homes and plunged half of the population into hunger.
The conflict has produced waves of ethnically driven violence blamed largely on the RSF, creating a humanitarian crisis.
“The attack leading to unfortunate deaths reportedly of seventy people clearly violates international law and puts innocent civilians at grave risk. Pakistan extends its deepest sympathies to the victims and their families,” the foreign office said about the attack on the Saudi hospital.
“This attack underscores the urgent need for upholding the sanctity of health care facilities and adherence to the principles of international humanitarian law.”
The foreign office urged the resolution of the Sudanese conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, while affirming “full support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan.”
Darfur Governor Mini Minnawi said on X that an RSF drone had struck the emergency department of the Saudi hospital in the capital of North Darfur, killing patients, including women and children.
Fierce clashes have erupted in El Fasher between the RSF and the Sudanese joint forces, including the army, armed resistance groups, police, and local defense units.
Last week, the RSF issued an ultimatum demanding army forces and allies leave El Fasher city in advance of an expected offensive.
West Indies win Test in Pakistan for first time in 35 years
- Spinner Jomel Warrican took five wickets as West Indies beat Pakistan by 120 runs
- Babar Azam top-scores with 31, Rizwan makes 25 as Pakistan fail to chase 254 runs
MULTAN, Pakistan: Spinner Jomel Warrican took five wickets as the West Indies won a Test match in Pakistan for the first time in nearly 35 years on Monday.
The West Indies won the second Test in Multan by 120 runs on day three to draw the series 1-1.
Pakistan won the first Test by 127 runs, also in Multan.
Warrican finished with nine wickets in the match — 19 in the series — to give the hosts a taste of their own medicine on spin-friendly pitches.
The last time the West Indies won a Test in Pakistan was in Faisalabad in November 1990, having gone winless on their 1997 and 2006 tours.
Resuming on 76-4 and chasing 254, Pakistan’s hopes of victory rested on Saud Shakeel but Kevin Sinclair had the left-hander caught in the slip for 13 to further dent the home team’s fading chances.
Babar Azam top-scored with 31 while Mohammad Rizwan made 25.
World Bank mission in Pakistan to discuss plan to improve power stability system
- World Bank mission to advance preparations for systems that manage, improve quality of power in electrical grids
- Pakistan has taken steps recently to reform its energy sector, lower electricity costs and reduce transmission losses
ISLAMABAD: A World Bank mission is in Pakistan to discuss a plan to improve the power stability system in the energy-starved South Asian country, a spokesperson of the financial institution confirmed on Monday.
As per local media reports, the World Bank mission was due to arrive in Pakistan on Monday for a two-day visit to develop a work plan and agree on the next steps to advance the preparation of Reactive Compensation Devices.
Reactive Compensation Devices are electrical systems used to manage and improve the quality of power in electrical grids by controlling the flow of reactive power.
“There is a mission in town. That’s all I can confirm at this point,” Maryam Altaf, the communications officer at the World Bank’s Pakistan office, told Arab News when asked to confirm reports.
Pakistan has been eagerly attempting to reform its energy sector, lower electricity costs and reduce transmission losses in its bid to curtail its mounting circular debt.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government has increasingly spoken about its desire to reduce electricity theft and transmission losses through energy sector reforms. This has resulted in the country suffering long hours of power outages, especially during summers, and suffering huge economic losses as a result.
Earlier this month, the federal cabinet approved a plan to renegotiate agreements with 14 independent power producers (IPPs). The government said the revised agreements with the IPPs would cause a reduction of Rs802 billion ($2.9 billion) in costs and profits, including a Rs35 billion ($126 million) cut in past excess profits.
At the core of Pakistan’s energy problems are capacity charges, or payments made to IPPs regardless of electricity consumption, which have exacerbated Pakistan’s circular debt, now exceeding Rs2.4 trillion ($8.6 billion), as per energy minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Laghari.
Laghari also announced earlier this month that the government will implement a new energy market system through which consumers will be able to buy power from multiple suppliers starting March.
UK team in Pakistan for aviation audit ahead of resumption of PIA flights
- European safety agency in November lifted 2020 bar on PIA operating in bloc
- PIA resumed Europe operations on Jan. 10 with flight to Paris from Islamabad
KARACHI: A delegation from the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority arrived in Pakistan today, Monday, to conduct a safety assessment ahead of the resumption of PIA flight operations between Pakistan and the UK.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency in November lifted its ban on Pakistan’s national carrier operating in the bloc, a restriction that was placed in 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to ensure compliance with international aviation standards. The suspension came days after Pakistan launched an investigation into the validity of pilots’ licenses issued in the country following a PIA plane crash that killed 97 people.
On Jan. 10, PIA resumed flights to European destinations with a plane departing for Paris from Islamabad International Airport.
“There will be several high-level meetings between the two sides,” PCAA said in a statement after the UK team’s arrival in Pakistan.
“The discussions will examine aviation safety protocols, review documentation, and evaluate operational procedures. The UK delegation is also scheduled to visit airlines to assess compliance with international standards.”
PCAA said its officials had been engaged for months in technical talks with UK authorities and were “optimistic about the positive outcome of this visit.”
In November EASA said the decision to allow PIA to perform commercial air transport operations to, from and within the EU was based on the “significant efforts” made by the PCAA.
Pakistan had grounded 262 of the country’s 860 pilots, including 141 of PIA’s 434, whose licenses the then aviation minister termed “dubious.” The investigation ultimately did not reveal any major concerns, but the suspension remained in place.
The ban was costing PIA nearly 40 billion Pakistani rupees ($144 million) in revenue annually, according to government records presented in parliament.
