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Fit-again Afridi to lead defending champions Lahore in Pakistan Super League

Lahore Qalander's bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi is pictured during a warmup match in Lahore, Pakistan, on February 7, 2023. (@iShaheenAfridi/Twitter)
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Updated 12 February 2023
AP 
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Fit-again Afridi to lead defending champions Lahore in Pakistan Super League

  • Afridi led Lahore to its maiden PSL title last year in Pakistan’s premier domestic Twenty20 event 
  • The PSL has once again attracted several foreign Twenty20 specialists in a six-team tournament
Updated 12 February 2023
AP 

ISLAMABAD: Shaheen Shah Afridi will stage a comeback to competitive cricket after three months out with a freak knee injury to lead defending champions Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, beginning from Monday. 

Afridi led Lahore to its maiden PSL title last year in Pakistan’s premier domestic Twenty20 tournament that has once again attracted several foreign T20 specialists in a six-team event also featuring two-time champions Islamabad United and past winners Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings, Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi. 

Afridi, the lanky left-arm fast bowler, has been Pakistan’s bowling mainstay for the last five years since making his international debut in 2018. But a knee injury during the final of the T20 World Cup against England saw him undergo a long strenuous rehabilitation program before finally getting ready for the PSL. 

“There were times when I wanted to give up,” Afridi said. “I was working on only one muscle and it was not improving. Often during the rehabilitation sessions, I used to say to myself ‘this is enough, I cannot do this anymore.’” 

Afridi used to watch his bowling videos on YouTube to keep himself motivated and ‘push a little more’ but was frustrated to miss international cricket because of injury. 

In Afridi’s absence England whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 in the test series during its historic comeback tour to Pakistan last December, while New Zealand twice came close to beating Pakistan in the drawn two-test series. 

Afridi, who has a tendency of picking up wickets in the batting powerplay, has taken 70 wickets since making his PSL debut during the third edition of the tournament in 2018. He is third behind his countrymen Wahab Riaz (103), who is the only bowler in the PSL history with over 100 wickets, and Hasan Ali (81). 

“PSL is one of the best leagues in the world and the quality of cricket tests you as a bowler,” Afridi said. “I am very excited to be making my comeback here … I am ticking both the bowling workload and fitness requirement boxes.” 

Lahore might rue the absence of hard-hitting England batter Harry Brook, who will be on national duty while star leg-spinner Rashid Khan will also miss the first three games due to his commitment with the Afghanistan national team. 

However, Lahore has drafted in Englishman Sam Billings and West Indian Shai Hoe to bolster its batting line-up which has the experience of Fakhar Zaman upfront. 

The combination of Afridi and Haris Rauf forms the best pace bowling pair in the PSL with the latter having the capability to tie down batters in the latter half of the innings with his pace and impeccable line and length. 

Pakistan all-format skipper Babar Azam, who won the ICC’s ODI cricketer of the year award for the second successive year, had a forgettable last year in the PSL when his team Karachi Kings could win only one of the 10 league games. 

This year Babar will be leading Peshawar Zalmi after he was traded to Karachi while T20 veteran Shoaib Malik and young middle-order batter Haider Ali were traded from Peshawar to Karachi. 

Karachi has the experience of Mohammad Amir in its bowling ranks and has also drafted Australian wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and fast bowler Andrew Tye. Although Englishman James Vince might not be available for the entire tournament, left-handed opener Sharjeel Khan will need to shoulder more of the burden of scoring in the absence of Babar. 

Sri Lanka’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa has bolstered Peshawar’s middle-order with young wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris and West Indian duo of Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford also among their ranks. 

Islamabad, winners of the first two of the three editions of the tournament, is a team which believes in match-ups and relies heavily on data to find a winning edge. Led by Shadab Khan, Islamabad has power-hitters in Paul Stirling and Asif Ali with young Azam Khan also making good progress in the T20 format after hitting a century in the recent Caribbean Premier League. 

Hasan and Faheem Ashraf are its experienced fast bowlers with Shadab tying down the batters with his legbreak bowling in the middle overs. 

Multan got beaten in the final last year and will open the PSL at home against Lahore on Monday. 

South African pair of Rilee Rossouw and David Miller, Shan Masood and skipper Mohammad Rizwan carry enough experience in the batting lineup, but its bowling resources look thin this year with Shahnawaz Dahani and tall leg-spinner Usama Mir likely to carry the bowling burden. 

It has beefed up the team in the replacement draft by drafting in globe-trotter T20 specialist Kieron Pollard of the West Indies. 

Veteran Sarfaraz Ahmed will be leading Quetta Gladiators for the eighth successive season after failing to qualify for the final in the last three editions since it won the tournament in 2019. 

Sarfaraz is expected to bat higher in the order and has got a red-hot Iftikhar Ahmed also in the ranks. Iftikhar hit six sixes in an over against Peshawar Zalmi’s Riaz during an exhibition PSL match last week in Quetta and also made his mark in this season’s Bangladesh Premier League. 

Karachi and Multan will host the first leg of the tournament before Rawalpindi and Lahore stage the second leg. Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host the playoffs and the final on March 19. 

Topics: Pakistan Super League PSL 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi PSL 2023

Saudi low fare airline ‘Flyadeal’ to begin operations in Pakistan next month— official

Updated 8 sec ago
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Saudi low fare airline ‘Flyadeal’ to begin operations in Pakistan next month— official

  • Flyadeal is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, Saudia
  • Airline to operate two flights weekly each from Riyadh and Jeddah to Karachi
Updated 8 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Saudi Arabia’s low fare airline, ‘Flyadeal’ is all set to launch its operations in Pakistan from next month, a Pakistani civil aviation officer confirmed this week, saying that it would offer cheaper fares to customers. 

Flyadeal is a Saudi low-cost airline headquartered at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. It is a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier, Saudia, that commenced operations on Sept. 23, 2017. Initially, it served domestic destinations within the Kingdom. On Jun. 10, 2022, the airline expanded its network by launching flights from Dammam to Cairo.

The airline’s move to expand its operations to Pakistan takes place as Saudi Arabia seeks to boost its tourism sector under the Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to attract over 150 million domestic and international tourists annually to the Kingdom by the end of the decade. 

“It will increase market competition by offering better facilities and more affordable tickets,” Air Commodore (retired) Shahid Qadir, director of security of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) told Arab News on Wednesday. He confirmed Pakistan had granted permission to the Saudi airline to conduct operations in the country.

Flyadeal’s fleet consists of Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline, which will initially operate two weekly flights to Karachi each from Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Jeddah cities, has hinted at plans to expand its network to include more Pakistani cities in future.

“Our new Karachi flights serving Jeddah and Riyadh are a stepping stone for further planned expansion in Pakistan,” Steven Greenway, Flyadeal’s chief executive officer, was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) in December.

Pakistanis constitute the second-largest expatriate community in Saudi Arabia, with an estimated population exceeding 2.5 million. Saudi Arabia remains the primary source of remittances for Pakistan. Furthermore, Pakistan is among the leading nations in terms of the number of pilgrims visiting the Kingdom for Islamic pilgrimages Umrah and Hajj.

Qadir said Flyadeal will become the third Saudi origin airline to conduct operations in Pakistan. The Kingdom’s national flag career, Saudia and Flynas, a private Saudi low-cost airline, are already conducting operations in Pakistan.

The Pakistani official said Flyadeal’s entry into the Pakistani market is expected to enhance travel options for passengers.

“Thousands of Pakistani passengers will greatly benefit from it,” he said.

Flyadeal’s first flight will depart from Riyadh on Feb. 1 and return from Karachi on the same day. The second flight will fly from Jeddah on Feb. 3 and return the same day.

Topics: Pakistan flyadeal Saudi Arabia Saudi airline

Imran Khan has allowed party to submit demands to Pakistan government in writing — aide

Updated 08 January 2025
Shahjahan Khurram 
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Imran Khan has allowed party to submit demands to Pakistan government in writing — aide

  • Second round of discussions between both sides ended inconclusively last week after Khan’s party demanded more time to consult ex-PM
  • PM’s special assistant on political affairs says negotiations to resume after National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq returns from overseas trip 
Updated 08 January 2025
Shahjahan Khurram 

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan has allowed his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to submit its demands in writing to the government during the next round of negotiations between the two sides, Khan’s top aide and PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan said on Wednesday, as both sides attempt to break the political deadlock in the country. 
The second round of discussions between the two sides took place on Jan. 2 ended inconclusively after Khan’s party demanded more time to meet and consult the ex-PM before submitting their demands in writing.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
“Today Khan has said that you can give our demands in writing [to the government],” Gohar Ali Khan told reporters after his meeting with the former prime minister at the central prison in Rawalpindi. “So we will give our demands at the negotiation table in writing.”
Khan’s party has previously stated two demands: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved Khan supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
“We will present our two demands in writing because even though there is no need to do so, we don’t want it to [delay the talks] by using it as a reason,” he said.
At a press conference on Wednesday evening, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said talks between both sides had been paused as National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who is heading the government’s delegation, has left the country on an “emergency” visit to a foreign country. 
“As soon as he returns, the second meeting that they want [with Imran Khan] will be held and after that we expect that they will present their demands seriously,” Sanaullah told reporters. 
The next date for talks between the PTI and the government has not been finalized. Last week, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the government’s negotiation committee, said the talks could encounter “serious hurdles” due to the PTI’s failure to submit its demands in writing at the next meeting.

Topics: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party Ex-PM Imran Khan Gohar Khan

Afghanistan hire Younis Khan as mentor for Champions Trophy in Pakistan

Updated 08 January 2025
AP
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Afghanistan hire Younis Khan as mentor for Champions Trophy in Pakistan

  • Younis Khan, 47, played 118 Tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20Is for Pakistan before retiring in 2017
  • Afghanistan is in Champions Trophy Group B with England, Australia and South Africa
Updated 08 January 2025
AP

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan has hired former Pakistan captain Younis Khan as a mentor for its men’s cricket team at next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said in a statement on Wednesday that the 47-year-old batting great will join the team in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy and will stay with Afghanistan at the tournament.
Younis, who played 118 tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20s for Pakistan, retired from international cricket in 2017 and briefly worked with the national team as batting coach in 2021 before quitting after differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Afghanistan is in Group B with England, Australia and South Africa. It will play its first match against South Africa at Karachi on Feb. 21.
More than 160 UK politicians have urged England to refuse to play against Afghanistan. The politicians wrote asking the England and Wales Cricket Board to take a stand against the Taliban regime’s assault on women’s rights.
It will be a second stint for Younis with Afghanistan, having previously worked with the team at a training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2022.
It will be the third straight major ICC tournament where Afghanistan has utilized local expertise by appointing a mentor, after former India international Ajay Jadeja for the 2023 World Cup in India, and Dwayne Bravo as bowling consultant at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and US
“Since the Champions Trophy is being held in Pakistan, it was required to assign a talented and experienced player as mentor from the hosting country,” ACB chief executive Naseeb Khan said.
Afghanistan finished sixth at the World Cup in India after beating England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to seal its Champions Trophy place. At the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan advanced to the semifinals.
The Champions Trophy will begin Feb. 19 in Karachi.
India, which is in Group A with Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh, will play all its games in Dubai.

Topics: Younis Khan Pakistan vs Afghanistan ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistani women require permission from male guardians to perform Hajj alone — religion ministry

Updated 08 January 2025
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Pakistani women require permission from male guardians to perform Hajj alone — religion ministry

  • Saudi Arabia allowed women to perform Umrah and Hajj on their own in October 2022
  • Number of women applicants for solo Hajj has nearly doubled from last year, says official
Updated 08 January 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Women intending to perform Hajj alone need permission from their male guardians such as fathers, husbands or in the absence of both, other close male relatives, officials of Pakistan’s religion ministry and the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) said on Wednesday.
In October 2022, Saudi Arabia allowed women to perform the Islamic pilgrimages of Umrah and Hajj without “a mahram,” a male with whom Islam forbids a woman to marry due to her close relationship with them. Examples of a mahram for a woman include her father, husband, son and brother, among others.
The CII, a constitutional body responsible for advising the government on matters related to Islam, ruled in June 2023 that a woman will be allowed to perform Hajj without her male guardian subject to two conditions: that she has permission from her spouse or parents for the pilgrimage, and that she has a “group of reliable female pilgrims and there is no threat to her dignity.”
Pakistan’s religious affairs ministry spokesperson, Muhammad Umer Butt, said women wishing to perform Hajj without a male guardian were required to submit written permission from their father, husband, or other guardians along with their Hajj 2025 application.
“Last year we facilitated single women for Hajj, and they are allowed again this year with the number of applicants nearly doubling from 3,027 in 2024 to 6,028 this year,” Butt told Arab News.
He said that after the Saudi government’s decision to allow women to perform Hajj on their own, Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs sought guidance from the CII and implemented their recommendations.
“The ministry has ensured that these women will travel in women-only groups, prioritizing their safety and comfort,” Butt said.
Butt said the majority of female pilgrims who have applied for Hajj this year are accompanied by mahrams. A small number of women faced difficulties in the availability of mahrams and have opted to travel for the pilgrimage alone, he said.
CII spokesperson Rana Zahid explained the religious body’s 2023 decision, saying that women were permitted by Shariah to perform Hajj alone if they were unable to find male guardians.
“However, this permission is subject to certain conditions and the woman must obtain consent from her father, husband (if married), or guardian,” Zahid said. 
He said such women must also travel with a trustworthy group of women or “reliable companions,” ensuring there is no apparent risk or threat to her safety and dignity. 
Saudi Arabia has allotted Pakistan a total quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, to be divided equally between the government and private schemes.

Topics: Hajj 2025

Pakistan sisters set father on fire after rape — police 

Updated 08 January 2025
AFP
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Pakistan sisters set father on fire after rape — police 

  • Sisters took petrol from motorcycle and set fire to father while he slept on Jan. 1, say police
  • Father had been raping eldest girl for a year, twice attempted to rape younger one, sisters allege
Updated 08 January 2025
AFP

LAHORE: Two teenage sisters were arrested in Pakistan for killing their father by setting him on fire in revenge for rape, police said Wednesday.
The father was attacked in the Punjabi city of Gujranwala on January 1 and taken to hospital where he died on Tuesday.
“The girls said that they decided among themselves to find a ‘permanent solution’,” Rizwan Tariq, a senior police official in the city, told AFP.
They then took petrol from a motorcycle and set their father on fire as he slept, he added.
The pair, who are step-sisters, said their father had been raping the eldest girl for a year, and had twice attempted to rape the younger girl.
Their mothers — who are both married to the man — knew about the abuse but did not know of the revenge plan.
AFP has not named the man in order to protect the identities of the girls, one of whom is from a previous marriage.
One of the wives has also been arrested while the second is being questioned.
“We expect to present them before the court in a few days, as soon as we finish the investigation,” Tariq added.

Topics: Lahore police rape

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