ISLAMABAD: The timid batting of Pakistan’s cricket team has left the country’s former cricketers and fans furious after rival India snatched a thrilling six-run win in the marquee game at the Twenty20 World Cup in New York.
A second successive loss in Group A on Sunday left Pakistan in danger of not advancing to the Super 8 stage of the tournament being jointly hosted by the US and the West Indies.
The United States, playing at the World Cup for first time, already made history last Thursday when it beat Pakistan in a Super Over after both teams were locked at 159 during the regulation 20-overs game.
Only two teams from each of the four groups advance to the second stage. So Pakistan needs to win its remaining games against Canada and Ireland and also hope results of other group games go in its favor to progress.
“I think I should have a template text ‘disappointed and hurt’ automatically set to be posted,” wrote former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“We should give credit to Pakistan, they tried their best to lose this game, I could not think any other way,” Akhtar said on national television’s sports channel PTV Sports. “It was run-a-ball, nobody asked you to hit and do anything stupid. Shocking, surprised, disappointed, but that was expected.”
Akhtar said the Pakistan team is made up of ordinary cricketers and he has no hope the team will get better in the future.
“They won’t change,” he said. “You are demanding extraordinary things from average people, you won’t get it. When mediocrity comes in you can’t get beyond that. That’s what you are getting from your investment (in cricket) for the last 20 years.”
Akhtar also criticized the International Cricket Council for the drop-in pitches in New York where all the five games have been low-scoring ones.
“Who makes that kind of tracks?” he questioned. “You had one year to prepare yourself. Hello ICC, wake up.”
Pakistan blew an ideal opportunity after its fast bowlers had bowled out India for 119 in 19 overs on another tricky surface where batters continued to struggle. It was cruising along at 80-3 in 13 overs when set batter Mohammad Rizwan played a reckless shot against Jasprit Bumrah and eventually Pakistan got restricted at 113-7.
“Batsmen throw it away as Pakistan lose to India in low-scoring nailbiter,” read the headline on the front page of English daily newspaper Dawn. The newspaper also splashed the picture of Rizwan on his knee after getting clean bowled and Bumrah celebrating the dismissal with Virat Kohli.
“Pakistan squander solid start as India claim T20 thriller,” headlined The News, another English daily.
Pakistan’s former fast bowling greats Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, who commentated on the game from New York, also vented their anger after the defeat against India.
“They have been playing cricket for 10 years and I can’t teach them,” Akram said. “Rizwan has no game awareness. He should have known Bumrah was given the ball to take wickets and that the wise thing would have been to play his deliveries cautiously, but Rizwan went for the big shot and lost his wicket.”
Younis said it was a horrible performance from the batters.
“Pakistan, if you can’t win this game, what should I say?,” he said. “This was given to you on a plate and Pakistan really spilled it. It was horrible performance by the Pakistan batters. There were a few partnerships in the beginning but they couldn’t really finish the game.
Thousands of cricket-mad fans had gathered in front of large screens in major cities in Pakistan to watch the blockbuster contest between the two nuclear-armed nations that have not played in any bilateral cricket matches for over a decade, but regularly play against each other in the ICC tournaments.
At least 17,000 people watched the game live on screens at the Pindi Cricket Stadium ‘fan park’, specifically set up by the ICC.
“I can’t believe it,” said 20-year-old university student Ibrahim Irfan after he walked out of the stadium in disbelief with his four friends. “It’s disgusting to say the least. How can they lose a game while chasing such a small target? We need a major overhaul. We are sick and tired of watching the same useless batters like Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim.”
Ahmed Awan, another fan who watched the game on giant screen in Karachi, said Pakistan players play for personal milestones.
“They bowled well but the batting was disappointing. They are playing for personal milestones … they should open the batting with tailenders and also in the middle order. The openers should come in the latter half of the game, be it (captain) Babar (Azam) or Rizwan.”
Loss to rival India at T20 World Cup leaves former Pakistan cricket greats and fans furious
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Loss to rival India at T20 World Cup leaves former Pakistan cricket greats and fans furious
- A second successive loss in Group A on Sunday left Pakistan in danger of not advancing to the Super 8 stage of the tournament
- The United States, playing at the World Cup for first time, already made history last Thursday when it beat Pakistan in Super Over
Thousands of students march in Karachi to protest Gaza war, demand independent Palestinian state
- The rally, which was organized by the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, marched toward the US Consulate with Palestinian flags
- The participants said they did not believe in two-state solution and would only accept independent and sovereign Palestine
KARACHI: A rally organized by the student wing of a religious party in Pakistan’s southern Karachi port city on Saturday drew thousands of participants who marched toward the US Consulate to protest against the ongoing war in Gaza and advocate for an independent Palestinian state.
The rally attendees chanted slogans against the US and Israel while carrying Palestinian flags and large banners that read “Stop the Genocide in Gaza.”
Organized by the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, with affiliation with the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party, the march brought together students from various universities, professional education institutions and colleges.
The JI and its student wing have previously organized similar demonstrations to protest the war in Israel that has claimed nearly 38,000 lives, mostly women and children, since it began on October 7, 2023.
“The Pakistani student community and youth will not accept any two-state solution and will only accept an independent and sovereign Palestinian state,” said Hasan Bilal Hashmi, the top leader of the student wing in Karachi, during the rally, as per a press release.
Other participants praised the Palestinian resistance and expressed their continued support.
They highlighted that the JI student wing had supported Palestinians since the conflict began and called for the Muslim world to unite to help them.
Later, the marchers delivered a memorandum to the US Consulate, urging the American administration to cease its support for Israel.
This memorandum was signed by a number of students, including many who participated in the demonstration.
Iranian envoy makes veiled criticism of US resolution on Pakistan’s elections, calls it ‘modern Ignorance’
- US House of Representatives called for impartial probe into the rigging allegations that followed Pakistan’s February 8 elections
- Iranian envoy to Pakistan criticizes the US and describes the development as ‘extortion under the guise of supporting democracy’
ISLAMABAD: Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, made a veiled reference on Saturday to a resolution passed by the United States House of Representatives, criticizing it for demanding an impartial probe into the rigging allegations that followed Pakistan’s February 8 elections and calling it “modern ignorance.”
The resolution, overwhelmingly adopted by US lawmakers this week, expressed concern over the state of democracy in Pakistan and called for freedom of media and speech. It also condemned attempts to “suppress” the participation of people in their democracy, asking the government to uphold their human, civil, and political rights.
Pakistan sharply reacted to the development, describing it as “unsolicited” advice and demanding that bilateral relations with the US be based on the principles of “mutual respect and non-interference.”
“Among wonders of modern ignorance: a country prevents ceasefire by veto, supports #GenocideinGaza by providing lethal weapons to Zionist regime, but Congress passes a resolution questioning election in an independent UN member,” Ambassador Moghadam wrote in a social media post, calling it “extortion under the guise of supporting democracy.”
Iran is among the nations that have criticized the United States for its support of Israel’s actions in Gaza, particularly highlighting the US use of its veto power in the United Nations Security Council.
Additionally, Iran has issued a stern warning to Israel, indicating that any attack on Lebanon could lead to a “devastating” war.
Another camel found mutilated and dead, days after similar act of animal cruelty in Sindh
- The owner of the camel refuses to accuse anyone after the animal was found dead with all of its legs amputated
- Previously, a landlord was accused of torturing another camel and chopping off its leg after it strayed into his fields
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s southern Sindh province witnessed yet another act of animal cruelty, as widely reported by the local media on Saturday, after a camel was found dead in the region with its legs amputated.
The incident took place only a few days after a local landlord in Sanghar district was accused of torturing a camel and chopping off its leg with his employees’ help since it had strayed into his fields for grazing.
The story, which triggered significant uproar on social media, led to the camel being transported to Karachi for treatment and a prosthetic leg. Six individuals involved were also arrested by the police.
The most recent incident took place in a modest settlement near Umerkot in Sindh.
“I don’t want to accuse anyone,” Abdul Rashid, the owner of the dead camel, was reported as saying by Geo News. “I have around 40 to 45 female camels. While all of them returned after grazing last evening, she was left behind alone.”
“God knows who made her run, beat her and cut her legs,” he added. “We don’t know anything yet ... We’ll see what to do next.”
Pakistan’s existing animal cruelty laws, rooted in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1890, prohibit various forms of animal cruelty, including beating, overdriving, and mutilation.
The legislation also prescribes penalties for breaches of these anti-cruelty provisions, which can include fines and imprisonment, though these are not always effectively enforced.
Pakistan Football Federation announces women’s futsal team participation in next year’s Asian Cup
- Futsal, a dynamic indoor variant of soccer played with a smaller ball, emphasizes skill and control over physical power
- The competition will mark the first time the national women’s futsal squad will compete in any premier competition
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced on Saturday the participation of the country’s national women’s futsal squad in the Asian Cup tournament next year, marking it their first competition under the auspices of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Futsal, a dynamic indoor variant of soccer played with a smaller, harder ball, emphasizes skill and control over physical power, and is popular in countries like Brazil, Portugal, and Spain. Recognized by major soccer organizations, including FIFA, the game’s focus on quick passing and space management has contributed to its growing global appeal.
“I am pleased to announce that the PFF has confirmed the participation of the Women’s Futsal team in the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025,” PFF Chairman Haroon Malik said in a statement. “This participation highlights PFF’s commitment to developing women’s futsal in Pakistan and providing our players with opportunities to compete at the international level.”
To prepare for the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025, the PFF has organized five Futsal National Cup (FNC) competitions in major cities across Pakistan.
The qualification round for the tournament will begin at the start at the outset of the next year, with the round of 12 set to take place in May 2025.
Pakistani authorities have been actively seeking to diversify athletic interests and skills beyond the nation’s predominant passion for cricket, promoting sports like futsal to broaden the athletic landscape.
Despite the cultural and social hurdles, these efforts include encouraging more participation among women, who rarely have opportunities to engage in sports and international competitions.
India win toss and bat in T20 World Cup final against South Africa
- India crushed defending champions England by 68 runs in Guyana on Thursday
- A day before that, South Africa thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets in Trinidad
Bridgetown, BARBADOS: India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat in the final of the T20 World Cup against South Africa at the Kensington Oval on Saturday.
The toss was held in bright sunshine and with a gusty wind blowing across the 28,000 capacity venue which is expected to be sold out for the game.
Rohit and his South African counterpart Aiden Markram both named unchanged line-ups from the teams which won their respective semifinals.
The possibility of stormy weather over the weekend, with some rain forecast for Saturday, had raised concerns among organizers but as early arrivals began taking their seats there was no sign of rain.
The final concludes a near month-long tournament, held in the USA and the Caribbean and features two teams who have yet to lose in the competition.
The event which has been a mixed bag in terms of quality, entertainment and attendances has certainly succeeded in setting up a final between the two best teams in the shortest format.
India crushed defending champions England by 68 runs in Guyana on Thursday, the day after South Africa thrashed Afghanistan by nine wickets in Trinidad to end a long and agonizing wait for a title game.
Since their first appearance at a World Cup in 1992, following the end of apartheid, South Africa had lost seven semifinals in the two limited overs formats.
This will be South Africa’s first senior men’s final since the inaugural Champions Trophy in Bangladesh in 1998 when the Proteas beat the West Indies.
India experienced the double disappointment last year of defeat in the World Test Championship final and the 50-over World Cup — losing both to Australia.
The country which more than any other popularised the shortest form with the hugely successful Indian Premier League now stands on the brink of their second T20 World Cup title and first since the inaugural edition in 2007.
