KARACHI: On Monday, two of the youngest teams in cricket met in Southampton in a World Cup game, with Afghanistan playing for pride, while Bangladesh were looking to continue what has been a quietly fantastic campaign.
Coming in with big wins against West Indies and South Africa, and strong showings in defeats to New Zealand and Australia, Bangladesh were confident they could continue their march to the semifinals, but the Afghans, who are already eliminated, weren’t going to be pushovers.
In a press conference at the eve of the game, Afghan captain Gulbadin Naib was told that the Bangladeshi coach Steve Rhodes felt his team were ready to take Afghanistan on. Without missing a beat, Naib switched from Pashto to Urdu and said “Hum to dube hai sanam; tujhe bhi leke dubenge. (We are drowning, darling, but we will take you with us.)”
Indeed, the shared languages, culture and heritage among the South Asian teams are one reason cricket’s fraternity can be seen as a family.
All its major members are related through the experience of colonization, and the politics of those relations reverberate in all encounters and narratives of the sport. Like most South Asian daughters-in-law, Bangladesh had to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get accepted by the larger family. After receiving Test match status in 1999, they had to go through a long time where their side was derided and/or patronized for not being strong enough to match the others. Statisticians would exclude matches played against them from records, while players were mocked if their best efforts came against Bangladesh. Perhaps most agonizingly, time and again over these past two decades, they would be on the verge of huge, life-changing upsets, only to lose at the last moment.
Those near misses had created a fandom, in a country absolutely mad for cricket, that was viewed as a bit melodramatic and churlish. People who held such views didn’t have to go through the growing pains for their own teams’ journeys and thus could afford to be uncharitable. But Bangladesh kept on keeping on, and since the last World Cup in 2015 have truly transformed as a limited overs side, winning matches against all-comers at home and improving in leaps and bounds in away encounters.
In contrast, Afghanistan’s cricket team had a much more welcoming arrival. The wretched, horrifying history of war in their homeland had made refugees of vast numbers of Afghans, mostly in Pakistan where they picked up their cricket. That connection with Pakistan meant access to first-class matches for the team, provision of international level coaches and facilities, as well as regular chances to compete against good players. In addition, the arrival of T20 franchise leagues meant that their players had become stars in the international stage before their team had achieved much, something Bangladesh never had in their formative years. Once Afghanistan had received international status, they had pulled off bigger results than most sides coming into the sport.
In that context, Naib’s promise to drown the beloved with themselves wasn’t just a false threat — Afghanistan had the potential to take down their South Asian rivals. But here was the thing — Bangladesh had paid the price of being here in blood. They’d gone through the false dawns, the near misses, the agonies and tribulations that come with being a newbie. And forged through those fires, they had emerged with the Prince Who Was Promised — Shakib al Hasan.
Bangladesh cricket’s first superstar, Shakib had long been one of the world’s best all-rounders, and could hold his own both in international cricket as well as in franchise T20 leagues around the world. Known mostly for his bowling, his batting always showed far more promise than actual results. But then, in the buildup to this tournament he insisted that he bat up the order, and since then he is having one of the best World Cups any player has ever had.
Against Afghanistan, he turned in a truly record-breaking performance. After scoring his third fifty to go top of the tournament’s batting charts, he took five wickets to crush Afghanistan’s spirited reply, forcing himself into the top 10 list for the bowlers as well. His presence was a reminder to Afghanistan that despite doing much better than Bangladesh had at this stage of their development, they don’t have a player like Shakib that elevates your team to another level. To be fair, even Bangladesh never had this version of Shakib before. He’s had three centuries in this tournament, and is having an outsized impact on his team’s progress.
His captain, Mashrafe Mortaza acknowledged as much saying that “Shakib’s been fantastic. He’s scoring runs and whenever we need he’s getting us wickets. I think that partnership [Shakib had with Mushfiqur Rehman] wasn’t very big but [it] was important.”
Shakib himself noted: “I did work really hard before the WC [so] I was well prepared. The best I could ever be prepared. It’s paying off. Definitely want it to carry on. Our next two games against India and Pakistan are big games.” Indeed victories in these two matches would take Bangladesh to their best ever finish in a World Cup with a semifinal spot.
As for Afghanistan, their journey seems set to evolve after this tournament. Their cricket board has made a host of controversial moves which are meant to take the team to the next level, and which have left a lot of the old guard that led the team’s initial years out in the cold. The search is very much still on for how to move forward, but this World Cup might not provide any answers. As Naib said at the end of the match, “I think we missed something this tournament … We’re missing something.”
That something might well be a superstar like Shakib.
Bangladesh march to victory over Afghanistan in battle of cricket’s youngest members
Bangladesh march to victory over Afghanistan in battle of cricket’s youngest members
- Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 62 runs in Cricket World Cup match to register their third win in the tournament on Monday
- Bangladesh posted 262 for seven wickets after wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim top-scored with 83
Pakistan, Iran agree to strengthen bilateral ties to tackle regional militancy
- Pakistan’s planning minister meets Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Raza Amiri Moghaddam
- Pakistan, Iran both blame each other for not doing enough to root out militancy in border areas
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Raza Amiri Moghaddam on Thursday agreed to strengthen bilateral relations between their countries to reduce militancy in the region, state-run media reported.
Pakistan and Iran are often at odds with each other over instability on their shared border. Both countries have routinely blamed each other for not rooting out militancy. Small separatist groups in Pakistan have been behind a long-running insurgency, calling for gas and oil-rich Balochistan’s independence from the central government in Islamabad.
Pakistani anti-Iran militants have also targeted the Iranian border in recent years, increasing friction between the countries.
“Pakistan and Iran have agreed to strengthen bilateral relations to reduce tendencies of terrorism and extremism in the region,” the state-run Radio Pakistan said.
Radio Pakistan said the agreement to bolster bilateral ties was reached between Moghaddam and Iqbal during a meeting in Islamabad.
“The Planning Minister emphasized the importance of enhancing connectivity through trade routes, considering the 900-kilometer shared land and maritime border,” he said.
Tensions reached a head in January between Pakistan and Iran after they exchanged airstrikes against alleged militant targets in each other’s territories. Both countries since then have made efforts to ease tensions and promote bilateral trade with each other.
Pakistan’s stock exchange closes at all-time high amid expectations of fresh IMF deal
- Pakistan Stock Exchange closes at all-time high of 67,142.12 points, registering an increase of 594.34 points from Wednesday
- Analysts link recent surge to possibility of Pakistan reaching another bailout agreement with IMF, privatizing national airline
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed its highest closing in history on Thursday as the benchmark KSE-100 index closed at 67,142.12 points, with analysts linking the recent surge to market expectations of the possibility of a successful deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for another bailout program.
The benchmark index settled at 67,142.12 points on Thursday at the close of trading, registering an increase of 594.34 points or 0.89 percent. This makes it the stock market’s highest closing in history, the previous highest being 66,547.78 points a day earlier.
Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a staff-level agreement last Wednesday which would pave the way for the release of $1.1 billion for the cash-strapped South Asian country. Pakistan has expressed its interest in securing a new loan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program with the IMF.
Financial expert and journalist Faseeh Mangi said the Pakistan Stock Exchange is one of the best performers in the world “in a rally that started last year after Pakistan avoided a default.”
“The latest surge is on possible IMF deal, PIA sale,” Mangi wrote on X on Wednesday, referring to the government’s plans to privatize Pakistan International Airlines, its national airline.
Topline Securities’ Deputy Head of Sales Ali Najib said the index had finally breached the 66,000 barrier, saying it could be attributed to “positive vibes from the IMF, rejuvenated foreign interest at historically low valuations and progress on SOE privatization.”
Shehbaz Sharif, who was elected prime minister for a second term earlier this month, faces the daunting challenge of negotiating a long-term financial bailout program with the IMF. Pakistan’s fragile $350-billion economy is in desperate need of external financing to shore up its foreign exchange reserves and escape a looming macroeconomic crisis.
For Pakistan, committing to a new IMF program, however, will mean committing to steps needed to stay on a narrow path to recovery. This would limit policy options to provide relief to a deeply frustrated population and cater to industries that are looking for government support to spur growth.
Inflation touched a high of 38 percent with record depreciation of the rupee currency under Sharif’s last government from April 2022 to August 2023, mainly due to structural reforms necessitated by the IMF program. Pakistan continues to be enmeshed in economic crisis with inflation remaining high, hovering around 30 percent, and economic growth slowing to around 2 percent.
Tickets for Pakistan’s home series against New Zealand to go on sale from tomorrow
- Pakistan will play against New Zealand in Rawalpindi and Lahore venues from April 18-27
- Series will help prepare both sides for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in USA and West Indies
ISLAMABAD: The tickets for Pakistan’s upcoming T20I home cricket series against New Zealand will go on sale from tomorrow, Friday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Thursday.
The five-match series is scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi on April 18, 20 and 21 and in Lahore on April 25 and 27.
“In the first phase, the pre-booking of the online tickets will start on Friday at 5pm at pcb.tcs.com.pk,” the PCB said. “The sale of physical tickets along with outlet addresses will be announced in due course.”
The PCB said tickets for the Rawalpindi leg of the matches will be available at a minimum cost of Rs500 ($1.80) and the maximum will be available for Rs7,500 ($26.98) for the VVIP Gallery. Additionally, hospitality seats will be available at a maximum amount of PKR 15,000 ($53.97) except for the first T20I where the hospitality seats will be available for PKR 12,000 ($43.17).
For the Lahore leg, ticket prices start at Rs300 ($1.08) for the general seats while the maximum ticket prices will be Rs6,000 ($21.59) for the fourth T20I while Rs7,000 ($25.19) for the fifth T20I (VVIP Gallery).
The series will be important for both sides as they gear up for this year’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 which is scheduled to be held in June in the USA and West Indies.
Pakistan will lock horns with arch-rivals India on June 9 for a big-ticket clash at New York.
Pakistani interior minister, KP CM vow to improve coordination amid surge in attacks
- Five Chinese nationals were killed in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday in a bombing
- Interior minister, KP chief minister vow to bring perpetrators of attack to justice
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior minister and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Thursday vowed to strengthen coordination between the center and the province to improve the law-and-order situation, the KP CM’s office said, amid a surge in terror attacks in the province.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvy arrived in Peshawar to meet Gandapur on Thursday to review the province’s law and order situation two days after five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in the country’s volatile northwest.
The incident took place in KP’s Shangla where a bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the vehicle of Chinese engineers and construction workers on Tuesday.
The attack occurred in an area vital to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which encompasses various mega projects crucial for Pakistan’s economy. The victims were en route to Dasu Dam, Pakistan’s largest hydropower project, when they were targeted.
“To improve the law-and-order situation in the province, both agreed to improve the coordination between law enforcement institutions on the federal and provincial levels,” a statement from the KP chief minister’s office said.
The two condemned the attack on the Chinese nationals and expressed their condolences to Beijing and the families of those who had been killed in the attack.
“The two expressed their resolve to bring all those involved in the incident to justice and put an end to terrorism,” the statement said.
Gandapur said it was his government’s top priority to ensure law and order in the province and to safeguard people’s lives.
Pakistan’s foreign office said on Thursday that Islamabad had enhanced the security of Chinese nationals after the attack.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said both Pakistani and Chinese governments were in contact after the tragic incident on March 26, adding they were fully committed to bringing the terrorists, along with their facilitators and abettors, to justice.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion was likely to fall on separatists and the breakaway Gul Bahadur faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP.
The TTP is a separate group, but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.
The TTP denied being behind the suicide bombing in a statement Wednesday, saying: “We are in no way related to the attack on the Chinese engineers.”
Tuesday’s attack came less than a week after Pakistani security forces killed eight Balochistan Liberation Army separatists who opened fire on a convoy carrying Chinese citizens outside the Chinese-funded Gwadar port in the volatile southwestern Balochistan province.
Pakistan says security of Chinese nationals enhanced after deadly attack
- Pakistan’s foreign office says the government fully understands Chinese security concerns after the attack
- It points out Pakistan has built a fence, introduced one document regime to secure its border with Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office said on Thursday the government has further enhanced the security of Chinese nationals only days after a deadly suicide bombing killed five of them along with their Pakistani driver in the country’s volatile northwest.
The incident took place in Shangla, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the vehicle of Chinese engineers and construction workers on Tuesday.
The attack occurred in an area vital to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which encompasses various mega projects crucial for Pakistan’s economy. The victims were en route to Dasu Dam, Pakistan’s largest hydropower project, when they were targeted.
“I can reassure you that Pakistan has further enhanced the security of Chinese nationals,” foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters in a weekly media briefing in Islamabad.
She said both Pakistani and Chinese governments were in contact after the tragic incident on March 26, adding they were fully committed to bringing the terrorists, along with their facilitators and abettors, to justice.
“At this point, we are focusing on investigating the terror attack and ensuring that the dead bodies of the deceased are transported to their home country,” she added. “This is the first priority at this stage.”
Asked about the security concerns raised by the Chinese officials following the attack, Baloch said the Pakistani government fully understood their concerns.
“We are engaged with the Chinese officials at very senior level to discuss the arrangements for the safety of Chinese nationals and for the investigation of this particular terror incident,” she informed.
The foreign office spokesperson said Pakistan would continue to work with the Chinese authorities to ensure the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan.
“We have no doubt that the … terror attack [in Shangla] was orchestrated by the enemies of Pakistan-China friendship and together, we will resolutely act against all such forces and defeat them,” she emphasized.
In response to a question regarding Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif’s statement regarding the necessity for stronger border controls between Pakistan and Afghanistan, she clarified he was elaborating measures already taken by Pakistan to regulate travel between the two neighboring countries.
“Pakistan-Afghanistan border is an important border, and Pakistan has, over time, taken several measures to secure the border, including erecting a fence along the border,” she continued.
“Pakistan has also introduced one document regime under which individuals can travel to Pakistan on the basis of valid visas on their passports,” Baloch added.