KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz has said he expects a “tough game” against two-time Pakistan Super League (PSL) champions Islamabad United as the teams lock horns in the first PSL Eliminator today, Thursday.
The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm tonight.
In its seventh year, the PSL has become a phenomenal success in the cricket-obsessed nation of 220 million.
Speaking to Arab News, Riaz said Islamabad United were one of the best sides ane he expected a “high-pressure game” against them.
Both teams have faced each other twice in this year’s HBL PSL7, with both winning one match each: Islamabad defeated Peshawar by 9 wickets while Peshawar won the next match against Islamabad by 10 runs.
“It is going to be a tough game, Islamabad are one of the best sides and they are going to come hard at us but it will be a good high-pressure game and I think the team which will absorb the pressure [better] will be the winners,” Riaz said.
Peshawar, one of the most popular PSL franchises, has qualified for the final four times in total, a record in itself. Zalmi won the trophy in the second edition of the tournament which took place in 2017. Peshawar Zalmi has also been the only PSL team that has qualified for the playoffs stage in every PSL, this time being no exception.
As far as Zalmi’s record for this year’s PSL goes, the “Yellow Storm” have won 6 of their 10 matches to secure 12 points. While they share the same number of points with Lahore Qalandars, the Riaz-led side has to face Islamabad in the eliminator due to its comparatively poor run rate.
An impressive run rate helped Qalandars secure the second position on the points table, taking them to the qualifiers. Lahore will face the winners of today’s match in the second eliminator on Friday, the winner of which will face Multan Sultans in the final on Sunday.
The Zalmi skipper has been the most successful PSL bowler, taking 103 wickets from 76 matches in all seven seasons. His nearest contenders are Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who have bagged 78 and 65 wickets, respectively.
His performance in the Karachi leg was not up to the mark.
“I think the major difference to my performance [occurred] when I came to Lahore,” he said. “It happens to a cricketer sometimes when you are out of form, but you need to peak at the right time.”
“I think I'm getting that confidence and most probably, it will work out in the playoffs and the final,” Wahab, who bowled a brilliant super over against Lahore on Monday, said.
Similarly, it was the Lahore leg that provided much-needed momentum to Zalmi, which had performed poorly in Karachi matches. Peshawar had only won two of the five matches they played in Karachi. Zalmi picked up their games in the Lahore-leg of the tournament, losing only one of their five matches there. Riaz credited his team for this comeback.
“I think credit goes to the team, the way the team has played” he said. “They were under pressure after [first] five games but when they came [in here] and played in Lahore, I think as a team we did really well,” he added, saying consistency had been the main reason for Zalmi’s success in Lahore.
“We try to keep the same team every year so that it's easy to communicate, because it's only one month and you know your players, [especially the ones] who are your match winners,” he added.
The Zalmi skipper showered praise on Muhammad Haris, who has earned praise from critics and fans alike for taking on bowlers confidently. Speaking of the batter, Riaz said Haris was a “very impactful player”.
“This PSL is all about opportunities. And I think he has grabbed it with both hands and made a great contribution to the team,” he said.
Speaking about the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia that will take place in October and November 2022, Riaz said his favorite team to lift the trophy are Pakistan.
“Obviously, I’ll rate Pakistan as one of the best teams,” he said.
He expressed his happiness at Australia’s upcoming tour of Pakistan, saying it will benefit the prospects of international cricket in Pakistan.
“It is a great opportunity for the people of Pakistan and for Pakistan [the country]. After so long, an Australian side is coming to Pakistan. It’s a great initiative by the Pakistan Cricket Board to bring the Australian team to play here and it will really help the cause of Pakistan cricket in future.”
Wahab Riaz expects ‘tough game’ as Peshawar face Islamabad in first PSL eliminator today
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Wahab Riaz expects ‘tough game’ as Peshawar face Islamabad in first PSL eliminator today
- Peshawar Zalmi to take on two-time PSL champions Islamabad United today
- Winner of today’s Eliminator will then face Lahore Qalandars for a place in the final
Pakistan's Punjab bans entry to parks, zoos and playgrounds amid pollution
- The province has set up a ‘smog war room,’ using satellite, drones and AI to monitor and address pollution
- Environmentalists want government to address fuel quality, renewable electricity and industrial emissions
LAHORE: Pakistan's eastern Punjab province banned entry to parks, zoos, playgrounds and other public spaces on Friday to protect the public from polluted air, and is considering closing down universities after shutting schools earlier this week.
The air quality in Lahore has deteriorated drastically, earning Punjab's regional capital the rank of world's most polluted city from Swiss air purification equipment maker IQAir.
"We are closely monitoring the situation. There's a possibility of closing universities and colleges on Monday to reduce vehicle emissions," said Jahangir Anwar, Secretary of the Environment Protection Department Punjab.
Friday's order from the regional government placed a "complete ban on public entry in all parks ... zoos, playgrounds, historical places, monuments, museums and joy/play lands" until Nov. 17 in areas including Lahore.
In addition to shutting schools, the province has already taken other steps such as suggesting half of employees work from home and banning rickshaws in certain areas.
South Asia annually faces severe pollution due to trapped dust, emissions and stubble burning - the practice of setting fire to fields after the harvest of grain.
Punjab has attributed this year's particularly high pollution levels to toxic air from neighbouring India, where air quality has also reached hazardous levels.
Punjab has set up a "smog war room," using satellite, drone technology and AI to monitor and address pollution. Nevertheless, Anwar says there is not enough equipment to effectively monitor the province, with only four air quality monitoring machines for the entire city of Lahore, "whereas we should have 50.”
Anwar said the department had imported and deployed five mobile monitoring units and plans to deploy eight more by year-end.
Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environment lawyer and member of the Pakistan Climate Change Council, stressed the need for robust data and policy changes.
"Right now, we just simply don't have those monitors, we simply don’t have as robust data as we should have to make decisions," Alam said.
He warned that without addressing fuel quality, renewable electricity and industrial emissions, the problem will continue to worsen.
Father accused of killing daughter tells UK jury wife told him to confess
- Urfan Sharif is accused of murdering Sara Sharif last year, alongside her stepmother and uncle
- Police found the girl’s body with multiple fractures, bruises, burns and bite marks at her home
LONDON: The father of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl on trial in London for her murder on Friday said his wife told him to confess to killing his daughter.
Urfan Sharif, 42, is accused of murdering Sara Sharif on August 8 last year, alongside her stepmother Beinash Batool, 30, and the girl’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29.
All three deny the charge and of causing or allowing her death.
A jury at the Old Bailey court was told that all three left the family home in Woking, southwest of London, the day after Sara died and flew to Pakistan.
Sara’s body, which had multiple fractures, bruises, burns and bite marks, was found by police after a tip-off from Sharif in Islamabad.
Giving evidence for a fourth day, he said he was devastated by her death but agreed to leave because Batool had told him Sara had been beaten by another of his children, and he feared the consequences for them.
Before leaving, he wrote a note taking the blame. “Whoever sees this note, it’s me Urfan Sharif who killed my daughter by beating,” it read.
But Sharif told the jury that the confession was dictated by his wife.
“I was merely writing, the wording was not mine,” he said, insisting he took the blame to protect his other children.
Before leaving on August 9, 2023, Sharif left the house keys under the doormat, so the police would not have to break through the door, and had resolved to tell the authorities about Sara when he was out of the country.
A recording was played in court of Sharif’s garbled phone call to police in the UK after arriving in Islamabad.
“I killed my daughter, I killed my daughter,” he said.
Instructing police to the house, he said he “left in a panic” and added: “I promise I’ll come back.”
One month later, Sharif, Batool and Malik returned to the UK and were arrested.
Pakistan PM unveils winter power relief package to cut electricity costs for consumers
- PM Shehbaz Sharif says the initiative will alleviate financial pressure on consumers, stimulate economic activity
- Relief package will reduce tariffs for domestic, industrial and commercial users for three months starting December
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Friday a three-month electricity relief package starting in December, aimed at reducing tariffs for domestic, industrial and commercial consumers.
The announcement comes after the government faced widespread protests earlier this year over rising inflation and high electricity costs following the presentation of its first budget in June. Political parties urged the Sharif administration to renegotiate agreements with independent power producers to lower tariffs.
Pakistan’s manufacturing sector has also expressed concerns over the years due to the rising cost of electricity, saying the elevated power tariffs render national exports uncompetitive in the global market.
“The government has decided to offer an electricity relief package for the three winter months of December, January and February, providing substantial reductions in electricity prices for additional usage,” the prime minister said during a ceremony in Islamabad.
“Under this package, domestic consumers will pay a flat rate of Rs26.07 per unit for incremental electricity usage, resulting in savings of Rs11.42 to Rs26 per unit for household users,” he continued. “The package will apply across Pakistan.”
Electricity consumers in the country pay their bills according to the number of units that fall into various slabs, each with its own tariff rates.
Under the new winter package, industrial consumers will benefit from savings ranging between Rs5.72 and Rs15 per unit, according to Sharif, translating to an 18 percent to 37 percent reduction in electricity costs.
Commercial consumers are set to save between Rs13.46 and Rs22 per unit, equating to overall savings of 34 percent to 47 percent.
Sharif also emphasized the broader economic benefits of the initiative, saying it would alleviate financial pressures on consumers and stimulate economic activity in the country.
“With reduced electricity costs, industries will grow across Pakistan, agriculture will flourish, business and exports will expand, production will increase and Pakistan’s economy will strengthen further,” he said.
No official word from India it will participate in Champions Trophy in Pakistan — PCB
- Mohsin Naqvi’s statement comes amid Indian media reports their team may not play the tournament
- PCB chief maintains sports should be free from politics, says Pakistan’s preparations are continuing
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Friday there has been no official communication from Indian cricket authorities regarding their national team’s participation in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in Pakistan next year, despite recent reports in the Indian media suggesting otherwise.
Political tensions between India and Pakistan mean the two South Asian rivals only face each other at international tournaments. The Indian team last visited Pakistan in 2008 for the 50-over Asia Cup.
India’s refusal to play on Pakistani soil since then forced the PCB to settle for a “hybrid model” during last year’s Asia Cup, in which only four of the 13 matches were held in Pakistan, with the remaining nine played in Sri Lanka.
“For the past two months, there have been reports in Indian media that the Indian team is not coming [to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy],” Naqvi said during a news conference in Lahore.
“As far as what Indian media is reporting, if the Indian media is reporting this, then with that there must also be a letter that the ICC will give us [Pakistan] or the Indian [cricket] board must have announced [this decision] somewhere,” he continued. “So far, no such letter has reached me or the PCB.”
The ICC Champions Trophy, set to take place from February 19 to March 9, 2025, marks Pakistan’s first time hosting this prestigious tournament. The PCB has been preparing extensively, investing in stadium upgrades and infrastructure improvements to meet international standards.
Naqvi emphasized the need to keep sports free from political influence, adding the preparations for the Champions Trophy would continue as planned with hopes for a successful event.
The ICC has previously expressed satisfaction with Pakistan’s preparations, signaling that the tournament remains on track.
The PCB chief said during his media talk he was in contact with the cricket authorities in other countries, saying they were all excited about the upcoming event and wanted to play the tournament in Pakistan.
Pakistan, UAE sign agreements in customs, rail, airport infrastructure, maritime sectors
- UAE minister of state for foreign trade calls on Pakistani PM Sharif
- In May, Pakistan said UAE had committed $10 billion in investments
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the UAE on Friday signed four MoUs in the sectors of customs, rail and airport infrastructure, maritime shipping and logistics, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office in Islamabad said in a statement.
The MoUs were signed between the Pakistani ministries of maritime affairs, aviation and railways and the Federal Board of Revenue with the Abu Dhabi (AD) Ports Group.
“As per these MoUs, Pakistan and AD Ports Group would explore potential collaboration in customs, rail, airport infrastructure and maritime shipping and logistics sectors,” the PM’s office said after Sharif met a delegation of UAE investors led by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE minister of state for foreign trade.
“These MoUs are aimed at improving digital customs controls, developing dedicated freight rail corridors, upgrading Pakistan’s maritime fleet and marine services, as well as Pakistan’s international airports.”
Sharif said the delegation’s visit demonstrated that the UAE government wanted to enhance its “investment footprint” in Pakistan and continue to play a “crucial role” in boosting Pakistan’s economy.
“The Prime Minister highlighted the comprehensive economic partnership between the two nations across sectors such as trade, energy, and investment, which has contributed to growth and prosperity in both countries.”
The UAE delegation’s visit to Pakistan comes as Islamabad is seeking to strengthen trade and investment ties with friendly nations.
In May this, Pakistan said the UAE had committed $10 billion to invest in promising economic sectors in Pakistan.
Riyadh has also promised a $5 billion investment package that cash-strapped Pakistan desperately needs to shore up its dwindling foreign reserves and fight a chronic balance of payment crisis. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also signed 34 MoUs worth $2.8 billion last month.
