Pakistan

As the roster for the T20 World Cup approaches, five PSL talents stand out.

Published

2 months ago

Farwa

The local team in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9 put on an incredible performance to catch the attention of the selectors for the T20 World Cup, which will be hosted in the USA and the Caribbean.

Due to several player withdrawals and the unavailability of numerous international players, Pakistan’s homegrown players were left to prove their mettle in the ninth PSL season.

In anticipation of the 2019 T20 World Cup, ESPNcricinfo examines five players who fared well in the competition and should be watched out for.

Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Mehran Mumtaz, Imad Wasim, and Haider Ali are the five players. When Haider Ali was at his best, he was a seductively clean ball-striker who scored 103 runs in five innings with a strike rate of 163.49.

Before Islamabad United decided to select him as a late replacement, he was not selected in the draft. And two composed, undefeated innings against United in the hypothetical knockout stages brought back memories of the kind of player Pakistan believed they were getting in Haider.

In those lower-middle-order positions, competition for spots is far less intense, and the forthcoming T20Is against New Zealand would be an ideal opportunity for a trial. Imad Wasim, who has officially retired from international cricket more than a year ago, was next with 126 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 128.57 and 12 wickets in 12 innings at an economy rate of 6.60. Despite this, it is hard to overlook him. Imad’s continuously strong all-around performances in this competition were reminiscent of a period in which he opened the bowling for a team that won 11 consecutive Twenty20 International Series.

His international career has suffered due to injuries and a perceived lack of dedication to fitness, but with the majority of this year’s T20 World Cup taking place in the Caribbean, the argument for one final dance with the national team has only become stronger. No bowler (minimum 25 overs) came within nearly a full run of his unmatched economy rate of 6.60, and his ability to chip away at rival top orders without being a run-leaker is an irresistible combination.

Mehran Mumtaz, who bowls at around 100 kph, came in third place with five wickets in five innings at an economy rate of 6.63. The 20-year-old left-arm bowler Mumtaz didn’t play in many PSL matches, but when he did, he was an engaging and useful player.

Although he claimed five wickets, his 6.63 economy rate—just slightly higher than Imad’s—was what really stood out. The majority of Pakistanis are still unaware of him, but they have 12 matches left before the T20I World Cup, which is a perfect chance to put him to the test. Fourth was Abrar Ahmed (16 wickets in 10 innings at 7.82 economy rate), who made his PSL debut with Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings before suffering injuries that ended his career. However, Pakistan saw him as a red-ball specialist when he came back, and they gave him his debut international match in Multan against England.

Taking five wickets before lunch, he made an immediate impression. Since then, the six matches he has played have all been in the Test format. With a wicket-taking average of one every 15 deliveries, he finished third in the tournament. The only bowlers with a higher economy rate were Usama Mir and Mohammad Ali.

He bowled his whole quota in all 10 games, making him an indispensable member of the Quetta Gladiators squad. At some time, you should see him wearing a green shirt and holding a white ball if he can avoid getting hurt during the next run-up to the World Cup. Possibly even in the Caribbean. There is currently no question that Usman Khan, who scored 430 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 164.12, was adequate.

Usman played four fewer games and amassed two of the four hundreds in the PSL at a strike rate over 164 and an average exceeding 107. At the PSL, only Babar Azam scored more runs. Although he was hesitant to play for Pakistan, there is little doubt that Pakistan would not want to allow a player of his caliber walk away so easy. He switched his allegiance to the UAE in 2022, but he still has 14 months to qualify for the UAE.

Latest News

According to CPLC data, Karachi saw 4,184 motorbike thefts and 59 fatalities in April.

Published

38 seconds ago

Farwa

Karachi’s crime rate decreased from 7,539 in March to 5,789 in April, according to the data.

The study states that in April, there were 162 reported robberies, 4,184 motorcycle thefts, and 1,368 instances of people being held at gunpoint for their mobile phones.

Ninety-nine persons perished in various circumstances last month, while 15 occurrences of extortion and one incidence of kidnapping for ransom were reported.
Previously on May 7, two individuals from the city’s Korangi neighborhood who were purportedly connected to the Indian spy organization Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were apprehended by Karachi police and intelligence in a combined operation.

The RAW-trained individuals were engaged in target killing in Pakistan, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Korangi Hassan Sardar.

Khawar Hussain and Jabir, who were sharing information and photos of target killings overseas, were the two suspects identified by the SSP as having been apprehended.

The accused were getting money from multiple accounts overseas, according to SSP Hassan Sardar. In light of the ongoing investigation, he continued, more confessions from the detained suspects are anticipated.
62 people lost their life as a result of robbery resistance out of 28,416 significant crimes that were reported in the last four months.

In addition, at the end of April, 5,35 automobiles, 20,152 motorcycles, and 7,470 cell phones were taken from individuals.

A total of 213 persons were slain in various instances over this period, according to the report, which also notes that there were 40 cases of extortion and six cases of kidnapping for ransom.

Latest News

The foreign minister of Qatar will land in Pakistan on Thursday.

Published

5 mins ago

Farwa

The Prime Minister of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrehman bin Jassim Al Thani, is expected to receive the special envoy from Qatar, which is the foreign minister.

Speaking with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi would make a call, according to a Foreign Office report.

There are frequent high-level visits and exchanges in Pakistan and Qatar’s long-standing, complex bilateral relationship.

Prior to this, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif met with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister, Bakhtiyor Saidov, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to collaborating with Uzbekistan to expedite and finalise all bilateral trade and connectivity initiatives.

An announcement from the PM Office stated that the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to grant Uzbekistan access to Pakistani ports.

Along with highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to the project’s early completion, he also underlined the significance of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway.

Improved trade and economic cooperation, security and defence, connectivity, and people-to-people exchanges were among the topics of discussion between the two countries. It was also mentioned how crucial Afghanistan’s prosperity and peace are to the region’s interconnection.

In order to investigate trade and investment prospects in Pakistan, a high-level Saudi team travelled to Islamabad on Sunday, May 5.

The Ministry of Commerce released a statement stating that the 50-member group was led by Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Investment Minister Ibrahim Almubarak with the goal of strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.

The team was greeted upon arrival at Noor Khan Air Base by Ministers of Commerce, Jam Kamal Khan, and Petroleum, Musadik Masood Malik.

Business

The World Bank and Pakistan reach consensus on a new partnership framework for reforms.

Published

9 mins ago

Farwa

Meetings between Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and a delegation headed by Martin Raiser, Regional Vice President of the World Bank for South Asia, resulted in the agreement.

Praiseing the World Bank’s role in Pakistan’s growth, Prime Minister Shehbaz welcomed Martin Raiser.

After the floods in Pakistan in 2022, the prime minister expressed gratitude for the Bank’s cooperation in constructing climate-resilient infrastructure. He gave the delegation an overview of the government’s reform programme, which included ending child stunting, improving per acre production in agriculture, reforming the power sector, and digitising the entire tax system.

Martin Raiser expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s determined reform programme and stated that the World Bank was prepared to work with the nation to improve its economy in order to achieve sustainable development.

A new Country cooperation Framework with an annual review mechanism to evaluate progress and guarantee results was reached was agreed upon by both parties to initiate a long-term, targeted cooperation.

In order to accommodate future course corrections, the technique will be flexible. On a chosen list of crucial development goals for Pakistan, the new alliance aims to produce transformative effects over a ten-year period.

Structural economic reforms, including tax policy changes and domestic resource mobilisation, mainly through digitalization, were among the first set of goals that were discussed during the summit.

It was also explored how to improve basic learning and reduce child stunting through human capital development.

Reforms pertaining to the energy sector, such as broadening the role of the private sector in transmission and distribution, and shifting to renewable energy sources to make energy more affordable, environmentally friendly, and financially viable, were also deliberated.

Both sides stressed the need for cooperation in climate adaptation in order to effectively handle the increasing scarcity of water and shocks due to climate change.

Pakistan can gain from the Bank’s experience in leveraging digital transformation, building institutional capacity, mobilising global expertise and best practices, and engaging the private sector through the International Finance Corporation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and the World Bank’s private sector arm to enhance economic opportunities, including in the agriculture sector.

The federal and provincial governments, as well as academic institutions, legislators, members of civil society, development partners, and the commercial sector, will all be consulted throughout the establishment of the new Country Partnership Framework, the parties agreed.

In order to discuss partnership priorities that are appropriately aligned with the Government of Pakistan’s strategy and top development priorities, the World Bank will work with relevant stakeholders.

Najy Benhassine, the country representative of the World Bank, and Dr. Kazim Niaz, the secretary of the Economic Affairs division, signed a joint communique in this regard, which the prime minister saw.