GEORGETOWN: England’s title defence at the T20 World Cup wilted following a 68-run hammering in the second semi-final but skipper Jos Buttler would not blame it on his decision to field against India on Thursday. After rain and a wet outfield delayed the start of the match, Buttler elected to field after winning the toss, probably more comfortable chasing a target than setting one, especially with the prospect of more rain at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. His decision pleased his counterpart Rohit Sharma, who led with the only half-century of the match as India posted a strong 171-7 on a slow…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
BRIDGETOWN: After years of high profile coaches, it is the relatively unknown Rob Walter who stands on the brink of South African cricket history as he prepares his side for their first ever World Cup final. The Proteas booked their place in the T20 final with a brutal defenestration of Afghanistan and will now face India in Barbados on Saturday. Walter is the antithesis of that ‘high profile’ coach — he was never a star player, he stays resolutely grounded in interviews and if he is prone to outbursts of raw emotion he does not put them on public display. Just…
Pakistan clinched four spots in the finals of the Asian Junior Squash Championship at the Mushaf Sports Complex in Islamabad after a grueling round of semi-finals on Friday. Saturday’s finals will see Pakistani teammates Huzaifa Shahid and Sohail Adnan battle it out for the Boys U-13 title, while Abdullah Nawaz faces Malaysia’s Nikhileswar Moganasundharam in the U-17 category at the 31st edition of the championship. Last year’s world champion Hamza Khan will face off Malaysia’s Harith Danial in the U-19 category. Not a single Pakistani girl advanced to the semi-finals in the tournament, which has featured some 200 players from a dozen…
Cricket fans across India were praying, fasting and holding fire rituals for their team to end a global title drought in the T20 World Cup final on Saturday. Rohit Sharma’s India face South Africa in a blockbuster climax in Barbados with both teams unbeaten in the ninth edition of the tournament. India last tasted success in a world-level tournament in the 2013 Champions Trophy and has since faltered in the knockout stages of ICC events, despite being ranked number one in both T20s and one-day internationals and number two in Tests. Rohit and his team came agonisingly close to winning the ODI World Cup…
ISLAMABAD: Conceding a higher inflationary trend for the current month and challenges to current seasonal crops ahead, the government on Friday hoped for encouraging and sustainable growth prospects on the basis of budgetary measures for the next fiscal year. “The inflation outlook for June has slightly increased compared to the previous month but remains well below the levels of the same month last year. This rise is primarily due to higher prices of perishable items driven by Eidul Azha”, the Ministry of Finance said on Friday in its monthly economic update and outlook. In its ‘Seasonal Agro-Climate Outlook for June-August 2024’,…
LAHORE: Showing solidarity with the striking cotton ginners, the Karachi Cotton Association (KCA), oilseed mills and arhtis (commission agents) at major markets in Punjab and Sindh have announced halting trading in cotton crop. The KCA, All Pakistan Oil Mills Association and governing bodies of various mandis (markets) in Punjab and Sindh on Thursday told their members to immediately stop trading in cotton until the government withdrew the tax on the ginning and textile sector. In Sanghar, arhtis and traders staged a rally to protest the new taxes and some commission agents even threatened to stop trading in other crops as well if the tax was not withdrawn at the…
KARACHI: Stocks faltered on Friday, the last session of the outgoing fiscal year, despite the passage of the tax-laden budget 2024-25, which set the course for the smooth securing of a new IMF loan. Initially starting on a positive note, the benchmark KSE 100 index came under pressure and failed to sustain bullish momentum as investors took profits amid predictions of a spike in inflation. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation stated that the stock market moved lower due to fiscal year-end selling pressure and futures rollover. However, concerns arose over the expected higher CPI inflation for June and $918 million profit…
MOSCOW: Russia warned the United States on Friday its reconnaissance drone flights over the Black Sea risked leading to a “direct” military clash, issuing the threat days after angrily blaming Washington for a missile strike on Crimea. Ukraine’s attack on the Russian-annexed port of Sevastopol on Sunday drew fury from Moscow, which accused Kyiv of using US-supplied ATACMS missiles equipped with cluster munitions. Four people, including two children, were killed as missile fragments fell over the city, in what the Kremlin’s foreign ministry called a “bloody crime”. On Friday, Russia’s defence ministry said it had “observed an increased frequency of US strategic…
NEW DELHI: The roof of a terminal building at New Delhi’s international airport partially collapsed in heavy rains early on Friday, killing one person, rescuers said, months after a refurbishment project inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Images posted online showed vehicles crushed under giant steel girders at the departure forecourt of the airport’s Terminal 1, one of several projects Modi celebrated in March ahead of the country’s recent general election. “Due to heavy rain since early this morning, a portion of the canopy […] collapsed around 5:00am,” airport authorities said in a statement. The terminal is used for domestic…
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates has shortened Friday sermons at mosques to protect worshippers from severe heat, amid rising summer temperatures linked to climate change. The General Authority of Islamic Affairs, in a statement on Thursday, ordered preachers to limit Friday sermons to 10 minutes from June to October, when temperatures cool. The Friday sermons usually last for 20 minutes but can run even longer, with large crowds gathering outside mosques at midday. The decision was aimed at ensuring “the safety of worshippers… especially during the summer months”, the statement said. It coincides with UAE authorities’ efforts to avoid heat…
