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Pakistan’s 2020 highs and lows in the world of sports

This combination of photos shows Pakistani athletes who made headlines in 2020.
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Updated 31 December 2020
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Pakistan’s 2020 highs and lows in the world of sports

  • Perhaps the best moment of the year was when middle batsman Fawad Alam made 102 runs in a test against New Zealand
  • A great low for fans was the postponement of the Pakistan Super League series due to the coronavirus pandemic 
Updated 31 December 2020
Sabah Bano Malik

RAWALPINDI: In a year in which over 1.7 million people died world over due to the coronavirus, sports competitions offered Pakistanis some relief, as well as grief, in this difficult time. Below are some of the most memorable sporting moments of 2020:
Fawad Alam’s long-awaited century:
In the final day of this week’s test series between Pakistan and New Zealand, middle batsman Fawad Alam made his place in cricket history with 102 runs, his first in a test series since his debut on the team in 2009. Though Pakistan ultimately lost the test, Alam was showered in praise for his impressive stand on the field, batting for 6 hours and 36 minutes or 396 minutes, the longest ever by a Pakistani batsman in the 4th innings of a test match outside of Asia.
Sports journalist Faizan Lakhani summed by the emotions of millions of Pakistanis thus:

Former New Zealand cricketer Grant Elliot tweeted in praise for Alam:

Even the International Cricket Council congratulated Alam, posting photos from the athlete’s two-century test performances and saying: “Never give up.”

Shoaib Akthar vs the ICC:
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar came down hard on the International Cricket Council (ICC) this month after the world body named Teams of the Decade without any Pakistani player on the list.
“I think ICC has forgotten that Pakistan is also ICC’s member and plays cricket internationally. They missed out on an ace Pakistani batsman like Babar Azam who is already the top T20 batsman. They did not even include a single Pakistani player,” the speedster said on his Youtube channel.
“They didn’t select a single player from Pakistan, and thanks a lot for that, we don’t need you,” he added.

Comedian and cricket commentator Aatif Nawaz expressed his frustration, citing a number of Pakistani wins over the decade and saying the exclusion was “pretty lame.”

Funny cricket Twitter:
Being a Pakistani cricket fan is a high-risk gamble, but the upside is how often devotees take to Twitter to express their feelings, often with satire.
Just this week, as Pakistan lost its battle against New Zealand, sports writer and culture critic Ahmer Naqvi described the anguish of an extinguished love and compared it to Pakistani cricket fans.

Twitter user Arhum Latif @Arhuml92 lamented the heartbreaking choice to back Pakistan on the field: “Fool me 9863528 times, that’s just the life of a Pakistan cricket fan.”

Pakistan Super League’s postponed finals:

The coronavirus pandemic led to the suspension of Pakistan’s ultra-popular Pakistan Super League series, with the cricket board postponing the event in March after an overseas player showed symptoms.
The postponement was a huge disappointment for fans, announced hours before the semifinal matches were due to start in Lahore.
The Pakistan Super League Final was finally held on November 17, 2020 at the National Stadium in Karachi, with the Karachi Kings team defeating Lahore Qalandars by five wickets to win their maiden PSL title.
The return of women’s football:
Six years after being dormant, in October of this year, the Pakistan Football Federation said it was reviving the Pakistan women’s football team and invited 30 players from the national team for a camp.
Captain Hajra Khan tweeted out her excitement for the revival:

Pakistan wins Kabbadi World Cup 2020:

Though most sports events were hit by the pandemic, one got to have its day in the sun before everything shut down. In February this year, Pakistan won the seventh edition of the Kabbadi World Cup right here on home ground, with India coming in second and Iran third. It was the first time Pakistan had won the tournament.

 

Topics: 2020 Year in review

Ramadan tests Pakistan’s daily wage workers but faith endures

Updated 8 sec ago
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Ramadan tests Pakistan’s daily wage workers but faith endures

  • Reduced work hours during fasting month cut already fragile incomes
  • Charities, local businesses step in as laborers try to support families back home
Updated 8 sec ago
Falak Mahmood Khan

ISLAMABAD: Abdul Waqif grips a worn-out shovel and digs into the earth beneath the harsh midday sun, his body bent with age but still moving steadily. Moments later, the 70-year-old hoists a heavy bag of cement onto his shoulders and carries it toward an under-construction house, all while fasting.

For Waqif and thousands of daily wage laborers across Pakistan, Ramadan is not just a month of spiritual devotion. It is also a month of shrinking incomes.

Waqif migrated from Mohmand tribal district in northwestern Pakistan to Islamabad two decades ago in search of work. Like many laborers from rural and former tribal areas, he left behind limited local opportunities to earn a living in larger cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

In Pakistan, daily wage workers, particularly in construction and manual labor, are among the most economically vulnerable. They are paid only for days worked, receive no job security or benefits, and often rely on informal arrangements. Any slowdown in economic activity directly affects their ability to feed their families.

Economic activity typically slows during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Employers often reduce work hours or postpone physically demanding projects to ease the burden on fasting workers. While intended as a gesture of consideration, it means fewer working hours and fewer earnings.

For laborers such as Waqif, who earns between Rs1,000-1,200 [$3.59-4.31] per day, even a slight reduction in work can be devastating.

His suhoor, the pre-dawn meal before fasting begins, usually consists of a few chapatis from a nearby hotel. The hunger and thirst that follow him through the day are constant companions as he lifts bricks and mixes cement in the heat.

But so is his faith.

“Allah gives me courage. I am hungry and thirsty, but I keep working,” Waqif said while wiping the sweat off his brow.

Back in Mohmand district, his wife, four daughters and two sons depend on the money he sends home. Every rupee matters.

“I support them with this work,” Waqif said. “I eat three meals a day here and I also have to save money for my children and send it to them.”

The reduction in work during Ramadan weighs heavily on him.

“I don’t find much work in Ramadan, and I’m worried for my family,” Waqif said.

‘HONEST LIVING’

Finding food for suhoor is sometimes a challenge. On some mornings, someone offers him a piece of flatbread. Other times, he buys what little he can afford from a nearby eatery.

Muhammad Sajid, owner of Al-Hadi restaurant in Islamabad’s G-15 sector, says he tries to ease that burden by offering meals to laborers at half price.

“We don’t let anyone go hungry,” Sajid told Arab News. “We offer sehri and iftar as much as anyone can afford.”

The restaurant serves tea, yogurt, several types of curries and parathas.

Charity groups also expand operations during Ramadan, when community support traditionally increases. The Junaid Welfare Foundation runs a roadside dastarkhwan, or communal meal spread, serving hundreds daily.

Haq Rawan Shareefi, a manager at the foundation, said around 500 people are provided iftar meals each day. The cost of one person’s iftar is Rs200 [$0.72].

“That means, on iftar and sehri, our expenses range from Rs150,000 [$538.97] to Rs200,000 [$718.63],” Shareefi said.

For Waqif, breaking his fast at sunset brings temporary relief from the physical strain of the day. But the financial uncertainty remains.

“I ask Allah for this,” he said. “May Allah give me strength to earn honest living for my children.”

Topics: Ramadan 2026 Pakistan Daily wage laborers

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