ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan cricket team’s departure to England has been pushed back by two days after the Pakistan Super League final was rescheduled for June 24 in Abu Dhabi.
The PSL was earlier scheduled to end on June 20 and the national team was due to leave for England on June 23 to play three ODIs and three Twenty20s.
However, with the PSL final pushed back by four days, the national team will leave for England on June 25. The first ODI is scheduled for July 8 in Cardiff.
Abu Dhabi will host the remaining 20 games of the PSL after Pakistan’s premier domestic twenty20 league was postponed in March when several players and support staff tested positive for COVID-19.
The Pakistan Cricket Board hopes the PSL will resume from June 7, provided it gets permission from the United Arab Emirates government on Wednesday for its production crew members to start working at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on June 5.
Players and team officials from six franchises arrived in Abu Dhabi last week on chartered flights from Pakistan. Their seven-day isolation ends Wednesday afternoon after which the PCB said players will start training in Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan team’s departure to England delayed until June 25
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Pakistan team’s departure to England delayed until June 25
- The Pakistan Super League final was rescheduled for June 24
- Abu Dhabi will host the remaining 20 games of the PSL
Pakistan stocks hit record as fertilizer sales jump, rate cut hopes build
- KSE-100 jumps 1.5 percent to close above 179,000 points for the first time
- Stocks start 2026 on a strong note amid broad-based institutional buying
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani stocks extended their rally on Friday, with the benchmark index closing above the 179,000-point mark for the first time, driven by strong fertilizer sales data and expectations of further monetary easing by the central bank.
The KSE-100 index rose 2,679.44 points, or 1.52 percent, to close at 179,034.93, compared with its previous close of 176,355.49, according to data from the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).
Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities, said buying interest picked up ahead of key corporate earnings due next week, supported by easing inflationary pressures and improving sector-specific data.
“Rupee gains, strong fertilizer sales growth of 34 percent year-on-year in December 2025 and expectations of further policy easing by the State Bank of Pakistan, after headline inflation slowed to 5.6 percent year-on-year, acted as key triggers for bullish activity at the Pakistan Stock Exchange,” he told Arab News.
Fertilizer sales in Pakistan have shown mixed trends in recent months, with overall offtake affected by weak farm economics and seasonal factors. While urea sales declined in some periods, December data showed a sharp rebound, helping lift investor sentiment in the sector.
This has supported fertilizer stocks on the PSX, including Fauji Fertilizer Company, Engro Fertilizers and Fatima Fertilizer, which continue to draw interest due to their market dominance and dividend payouts.
Samiullah Tariq, head of research and development at Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company Limited, said investors were positioning for another rate cut amid improving macroeconomic indicators.
“Expectations of another rate cut, strong macroeconomic fundamentals and better corporate results are driving the market,” he said.
Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 50 basis points to 10.5 percent last month, surprising markets after maintaining rates unchanged in its previous four policy meetings. Consumer price inflation eased to 5.6 percent year-on-year in December, while prices declined on a monthly basis.
Friday’s close capped a strong start to 2026 for the PSX, with broad-based institutional buying lifting major sectors and reinforcing investor confidence at the beginning of the year.
