KARACHI: Peshawar Zalmi cruised to the final round of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Tuesday with an enviable partnership of 126 runs by Afghan power-hitting sensation Hazratullah Zazai and Jonathan Wells at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, becoming the only team to play a fourth final in Pakistan’s flagship cricket series.
Zalmi, which ended up third on the points table in the first phase, recorded its second consecutive win in the playoffs, dethroning defending Champions Karachi Kings on Monday, before defeating Islamabad United by eight wickets in the Eliminator-2 clash to progress to the final round against Multan Sultans on Thursday.
Peshawar Zalmi selected Arab News Pakistan as its international media partner in 2020 and extended this partnership to the 2021 edition, which was suspended halfway due to the spread of COVID-19 in March. The sixth edition of PSL, facilitated by the UAE Cricket Council, resumed on June 9 in Abu Dhabi.
Zalmi won the PSL champions title in 2017 and was the runner-up in the 2018 and 2019 editions. United has won the tournament twice.
Invited to bat first by Zalmi, who won the toss, United recorded a poor start after its in-form batsman, Usman Khawaja, lost his wicket to Shoaib Malik in a failed attempt to take a run, scoring only one run off two balls.
Muhammad Akhlaq was the second to face the field with the team’s total at just 15 runs, putting United under immense pressure. Colin Munro’s partnership of 55 runs with Brandon King provided some relief before he got out at 44 runs out of 29 balls.
United’s middle order, however, flopped miserably, with the next six batsmen adding just 39 runs to the team’s total.
At one point, United recorded 110 at the loss of eight wickets, but a blitzing partnership of 62 runs between Hasan Ali and Muhammad Wasim set a good target of 175 for Zalmi.
Ali scored 45 runs off 16 balls with three sixes and five boundaries, retaining the spot as top scorer of his side.
Zalmi’s Wahab Riaz and Umaid Asif bagged two wickets each while Muhammad Irfan, Ammad Butt and Muhammad Imran sent a player to the pavilion from the opposing side.
Zalmi nailed the target in the 17 over at the loss of two wickets, with Zazai – who played a slow inning initially – staying put at the crease to take his side to the final stage of the PSL.
Zazai scored 66 of 44 balls and was declared player of the match, while Wells clocked 55 runs and remained not out.
Malik, who also played the winning stroke, scored 32 of 10 balls. United’s Muhammad Wasim and Hasan Ali took one wicket each.
Peshawar Zalmi to play its fourth PSL final in Abu Dhabi on Thursday
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Peshawar Zalmi to play its fourth PSL final in Abu Dhabi on Thursday
- Will face Multan Sultans in the last installment of the flagship Pakistan Super League series
- Peshawar won the PSL champions title in 2017 and was the runner-up in the 2018 and 2019 editions
Pakistan weighs Trump Gaza board amid expert calls for Muslim allies’ consultations
- Former diplomats warn board could sideline UN, legitimize US unilateral plans
- Analysts say Pakistan should assert independent positions if it joins the body
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is weighing an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join a proposed international “Board of Peace” on Gaza, a move that has sparked debate among former diplomats and foreign policy experts who warned Tuesday it could sideline the United Nations and urge Islamabad to consult close Muslim allies.
The White House announced on Friday some members of the board, which is expected to supervise the temporary governance of Gaza under a fragile ceasefire in place since October and continue beyond that transitional phase.
These names included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump himself would chair the board, according to a plan unveiled by the White House in October.
Pakistan’s foreign office confirmed on Sunday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also received an invitation to join the proposed body, stressing that “the country will remain engaged with international efforts for peace and security in Gaza, leading to a lasting solution to the Palestine issue in accordance with United Nations resolutions.”
“Since the Trump ‘Board of Peace’ is more like an international NGO now, which would include [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi and [Israel’s Benjamin] Netanyahu, Pakistan should carefully take a decision in consultation with its close Muslim allies like Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia, and it should be a joint decision of these countries together,” Former federal minister and analyst Mushahid Hussain told Arab News.
“Otherwise, there is no point in being in the queue just to please Trump,” he added.
Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas have agreed that a Palestinian technocratic administration would operate under the oversight of an international board during a transitional period.
Hussain said that if Pakistan did decide to join the board, it should use the platform to clearly articulate its long-held positions.
“Pakistan should play the role of boldly promoting the right of self-determination of the peoples of Palestine and Kashmir, both occupied territories, and oppose any aggression against Iran, as peace and occupation or aggression cannot coexist,” he said.
International affairs analyst and author Nasim Zehra said Pakistan’s participation could still be justified if it allowed Islamabad to assert independent positions on global conflicts.
“Donald Trump has invited 60 heads of states and prime ministers to become part of the peace board, which is more like an alternative to the United Nations,” she said, referring to media reports about the board’s mandate. “If Pakistan is invited among 60 countries, it is acceptable for Pakistan to participate, and with a seat at the table, Pakistan can share its own view of how global issues can be resolved.”
Zehra added that Pakistan’s past diplomatic conduct showed it could maintain principled positions while engaging internationally.
Former ambassador to the United States Maleeh Lodhi took a stronger view, warning that the initiative appeared designed to bypass established international mechanisms.
“Pakistan should not join the Board for many reasons,” she said. “Its aim is for President Trump to get international support and legitimacy for his unilateral plans not just in Gaza but beyond, without member states having any real power.”
“It is being set up to supplant the UN in its primary role of maintaining international peace and security, with Trump effectively calling all the shots,” she added.
When contacted, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declined to comment and referred queries to the foreign office.
However, the foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi did not respond to Arab News requests for comment by the time of filing.
Pakistan has consistently supported Palestinian statehood under United Nations resolutions and has publicly criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza, while also opposing broader regional escalations, including attacks on Iran.
