Islamabad United’s Colin Munro smashes 82 runs from 47 balls to win Player of the Match award
- His opening partner Alex Hales scored 47 runs from 35 balls before Salman Ali Agha guided the team home
ISLAMABAD: Explosive Islamabad United batter Colin Munro on Wednesday smashed an 82-run knock from 47 balls to hand his team a thumping seven-wicket victory over the Karachi Kings at their home ground in the southern port city.
The two sides locked horns for the 15th match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) contest in Karachi. The Kings, led by skipper Shan Masood, were unable to impress in the first match of this year’s PSL hosted in Karachi. The Kings were able to score 165/5 from their 20 overs after being sent in to bat by United.
Pakistani all-rounder Imad Wasim, a former Karachi Kings cricketer, Salman Ali Agha, Naseem Shah and Hunain Shah took a single wicket each to restrict the Kings to a modest total before Islamabad’s openers wreaked havoc on Karachi.
“Back-to-back sixes by Salman Agha and WE HAVE WON!” United wrote on social media platform X, announcing the franchise’s victory.
Munro and his opening partner Alex Hales smashed a 108-run partnership, leaving little doubt Islamabad would clinch the match. Hales was dismissed by Hasan Ali after scoring 47 runs from 35 balls, hitting four boundaries. Wasim fell to left-arm Karachi spinner Tabraiz Shamsi on the second ball, heading to the pavilion without scoring a single run.
Munro was the third Islamabad wicket to fall when he was trapped leg-before-wicket by Mohammad Nawaz. His 82-run knock included eight fours and four sixes.
United, who were placed at number five on the PSL points table, have gone up to the fourth spot ahead of the Kings with four points from five matches. Skipper Shadab Khan’s side will next take on the Quetta Gladiators on Saturday as it eyes climbing the PSL points table further.
The Kings will now face a strong Gladiators squad, placed on number two at the PSL points table, on Thursday. Placed now on number five at the PSL points table, they have four points from two matches with a run rate of -0.527.
The top four teams of the tournament will qualify for the playoffs.
- A new Pakistani government will have to negotiate a long-term arrangement to keep Pakistan’s fragile $350 billion economy stable
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s spokesperson on Wednesday wrote to the International Monetary Fund’s managing director (IMF), urging the lender to link the grant of another financial facility to Pakistan with “good governance,” reminding the institution that it attaches importance to transparency, good governance and curbing corrupt practices while entering into financing arrangements with member countries.
Last week, the jailed former premier’s lawyer revealed Khan would write to the IMF to urge the lender to call for an independent audit of the country’s controversial Feb. 8 national elections before it commences talks with Islamabad for a new program. The IMF had responded by saying it would not comment on “ongoing political developments” in the country.
Pakistan averted default last summer thanks to a short-term International Monetary Fund bailout, but the program expires next month and a new government will have to negotiate a long-term arrangement to keep the $350 billion economy stable.
Khan’s party has been leading protests in many parts of the country since Feb. 8, accusing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of manipulating the results of the national polls. The election regulator and authorities deny Khan’s accusations, and have called on protesting parties to seek redressal from relevant forums. In a letter addressed to the IMF’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Khan’s spokesperson Raoof Hasan said calls for an independent audit of the election by several Pakistani political parties and independent observers have gone “unheeded.”
“We, therefore, call upon the IMF to give effect to the guidelines adopted by it with respect to good governance as well as conditionalities that must be satisfied prior to the grant of a finance facility that is to burden the people of Pakistan with further debt,” a copy of the letter seen by Arab News reads.
Hasan also demanded the IMF ensure an audit of “at least thirty percent of the national and provincial assemblies’ seats,” adding that it could be accomplished within two weeks. He clarified that the party was not demanding the IMF adopt the role of an investigative agency, pointing out that two organizations in the country, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) and PATTAN-Coalition38 have proposed “comprehensive” methodologies to conduct an audit of the polls.
“Such a role by the IMF would be a great service to Pakistan and its people, and could become the harbinger of enduring prosperity, growth, and macroeconomic stability in the country,” the letter concluded.
Khan, ousted in April 2022 in a parliament vote of confidence, was accused by opposition parties of scuttling an IMF deal days before leaving his office, a charge he denies. Khan and his party hold ex-PM Sharif, who was elected after him by the parliament, responsible for Pakistan’s economic woes.
- A new Pakistani government will have to negotiate a long-term arrangement to keep Pakistan’s fragile $350 billion economy stable
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s spokesperson on Wednesday wrote to the International Monetary Fund’s managing director (IMF), urging the lender to link the grant of another financial facility to Pakistan with “good governance,” reminding the institution that it attaches importance to transparency, good governance and curbing corrupt practices while entering into financing arrangements with member countries.
Last week, the jailed former premier’s lawyer revealed Khan would write to the IMF to urge the lender to call for an independent audit of the country’s controversial Feb. 8 national elections before it commences talks with Islamabad for a new program. The IMF had responded by saying it would not comment on “ongoing political developments” in the country.
Pakistan averted default last summer thanks to a short-term International Monetary Fund bailout, but the program expires next month and a new government will have to negotiate a long-term arrangement to keep the $350 billion economy stable.
Khan’s party has been leading protests in many parts of the country since Feb. 8, accusing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) of manipulating the results of the national polls. The election regulator and authorities deny Khan’s accusations, and have called on protesting parties to seek redressal from relevant forums. In a letter addressed to the IMF’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Khan’s spokesperson Raoof Hasan said calls for an independent audit of the election by several Pakistani political parties and independent observers have gone “unheeded.”
“We, therefore, call upon the IMF to give effect to the guidelines adopted by it with respect to good governance as well as conditionalities that must be satisfied prior to the grant of a finance facility that is to burden the people of Pakistan with further debt,” a copy of the letter seen by Arab News reads.
Hasan also demanded the IMF ensure an audit of “at least thirty percent of the national and provincial assemblies’ seats,” adding that it could be accomplished within two weeks. He clarified that the party was not demanding the IMF adopt the role of an investigative agency, pointing out that two organizations in the country, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) and PATTAN-Coalition38 have proposed “comprehensive” methodologies to conduct an audit of the polls.
“Such a role by the IMF would be a great service to Pakistan and its people, and could become the harbinger of enduring prosperity, growth, and macroeconomic stability in the country,” the letter concluded.
Khan, ousted in April 2022 in a parliament vote of confidence, was accused by opposition parties of scuttling an IMF deal days before leaving his office, a charge he denies. Khan and his party hold ex-PM Sharif, who was elected after him by the parliament, responsible for Pakistan’s economic woes.
Ahead of inaugural parliament meeting, ex-PM Sharif backs brother as ‘best choice’ to lead Pakistan
- Shehbaz Sharif is the joint PM candidate of an alliance headed by his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party
- Pakistan’s inaugural National Assembly session will be held on Feb. 29, 21 days after the Feb. 8 controversial elections
ISLAMABAD: A day before Pakistan’s lower house of the parliament convenes for its inaugural session, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday threw his full weight behind younger brother Shehbaz Sharif, referring to him as the “best choice” for premiership in a country that faces overlapping security, economic and political crises.
Pakistani lawmakers are expected to take oath tomorrow, Thursday, 21 days after the controversial elections of Feb. 8 were held across the country. Polls this month resulted in a split mandate, with independent candidates backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party emerging as the single largest bloc in the lower house of parliament. These candidates could not contest the polls from the PTI platform after the party lost its election emblem in a legal battle.
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party hence emerged as the political party with the most number of seats, bagging 75 in total. It has joined hands with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and other allies to announce Sharif’s younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, as their joint candidate for prime minister.
In a meeting with the party’s newly elected members of parliament, Sharif praised his younger brother for enduring hardships during his stint as prime minister from April 2022 to August 2023, crediting him for steering Pakistan out of an economic turmoil that would have seen the country suffer a sovereign default.
“The way he went through the past one-and-a-half years, it is his bravery,” Sharif said. “If I was in his place, I may not have been able to do that. Under these circumstances, Shehbaz Sharif is the best choice [for prime minister],” he said to applause from participants.
Pakistan’s cash-strapped economy is struggling to stabilize after securing a $3 billion standby arrangement from the IMF last summer, with record inflation, rupee devaluation and shrinking foreign reserves. Analysts say the new government is likely to need more funds from the global lender after the standby arrangement expires in April.
“Your next one-and-a-half to two years will be a bit difficult, I feel,” Sharif warned. “During this difficulty, we have to remain like this [gestures for unity] like one, and have to compete with our opponents,” he added.
Sharif’s comments come amid political uncertainty in the country, with the PTI calling for nationwide protests on Saturday to protest against alleged irregularities in this month’s polls.
Khan’s party has accused Pakistan’s election regulator of manipulating the results of the Feb. 8 polls to benefit the PPP and PML-N. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government have rejected Khan’s allegations, and advised the party to seek redressal from relevant forums.
Pakistan’s national election was marred by a nationwide shutdown of mobile phone networks, which the government said was done as the run-up to elections was marred by attacks on rallies, election offices and candidates. Twenty-eight people were killed in a number of attacks in the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces on election eve.
Other political parties such as the Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan (JUI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and others have also accused the ECP of rigging polls and held demonstrations in various parts of the country.
- Shehbaz Sharif is the joint PM candidate of an alliance headed by his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party
- Pakistan’s inaugural National Assembly session will be held on Feb. 29, 21 days after the Feb. 8 controversial elections
ISLAMABAD: A day before Pakistan’s lower house of the parliament convenes for its inaugural session, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday threw his full weight behind younger brother Shehbaz Sharif, referring to him as the “best choice” for premiership in a country that faces overlapping security, economic and political crises.
Pakistani lawmakers are expected to take oath tomorrow, Thursday, 21 days after the controversial elections of Feb. 8 were held across the country. Polls this month resulted in a split mandate, with independent candidates backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party emerging as the single largest bloc in the lower house of parliament. These candidates could not contest the polls from the PTI platform after the party lost its election emblem in a legal battle.
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party hence emerged as the political party with the most number of seats, bagging 75 in total. It has joined hands with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and other allies to announce Sharif’s younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif, as their joint candidate for prime minister.
In a meeting with the party’s newly elected members of parliament, Sharif praised his younger brother for enduring hardships during his stint as prime minister from April 2022 to August 2023, crediting him for steering Pakistan out of an economic turmoil that would have seen the country suffer a sovereign default.
“The way he went through the past one-and-a-half years, it is his bravery,” Sharif said. “If I was in his place, I may not have been able to do that. Under these circumstances, Shehbaz Sharif is the best choice [for prime minister],” he said to applause from participants.
Pakistan’s cash-strapped economy is struggling to stabilize after securing a $3 billion standby arrangement from the IMF last summer, with record inflation, rupee devaluation and shrinking foreign reserves. Analysts say the new government is likely to need more funds from the global lender after the standby arrangement expires in April.
“Your next one-and-a-half to two years will be a bit difficult, I feel,” Sharif warned. “During this difficulty, we have to remain like this [gestures for unity] like one, and have to compete with our opponents,” he added.
Sharif’s comments come amid political uncertainty in the country, with the PTI calling for nationwide protests on Saturday to protest against alleged irregularities in this month’s polls.
Khan’s party has accused Pakistan’s election regulator of manipulating the results of the Feb. 8 polls to benefit the PPP and PML-N. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government have rejected Khan’s allegations, and advised the party to seek redressal from relevant forums.
Pakistan’s national election was marred by a nationwide shutdown of mobile phone networks, which the government said was done as the run-up to elections was marred by attacks on rallies, election offices and candidates. Twenty-eight people were killed in a number of attacks in the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces on election eve.
Other political parties such as the Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan (JUI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and others have also accused the ECP of rigging polls and held demonstrations in various parts of the country.
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