BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: Two supremely talented teams collide in a four-match T20 International series with the West Indies and Pakistan starting Wednesday at Kensington Oval in Barbados before the contest shifts to Providence Stadium in Guyana for the remaining three matches.
This was originally scheduled as a five-match series but last week’s Covid 19 scare during the One-Day International series between the West Indies and Australia forced a two-day delay which has resulted in the loss of one of the scheduled encounters in Barbados. History suggests that the tourists will start as favorites.
Since being well beaten by 84 runs in Dhaka at the 2014 World T20, the Pakistanis have gotten the better of the reigning world champions in nine of the subsequent ten meetings.
But a lot has happened in the three years since they last met in April 2018, and while it is quite possible that Babar Azam’s side, having just come out of a very competitive series in England, will maintain their impressive run against these opponents, they would certainly have noticed the transformation — on and off the field — which suggests that the West Indies are a very different outfit now.
While the team which last faced Pakistan in Karachi missed a host of key players, the West Indies can now truly to be said to be at full strength, with the exception of spinner Sunil Narine who continues to be unavailable due to a reported lack of confidence at this time in his bowling action.
However, having Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and captain Kieron Pollard, together with a host of other headline names, is no guarantee of success.
West Indies struggled consistently to chase modest totals in a series with South Africa and were found wanting against the spin of top-ranked Tabraiz Shamsi and to a lesser extent, Geroge Linde, losing the series in Grenada in June 3-2.
West Indies rebounded from that series loss to South Africa to breeze past Australia 4-1 in St. Lucia, although their struggles against spin were emphasized in the subsequent three-match ODI series with Australia prevailing 2-1 and West Indies captain Pollard in the immediate aftermath on Monday condemning the pitches prepared for those matches in Bridgetown as an embarrassment and unfit for international cricket.
One of most consistent criticisms of this West Indies T20 squad is that they are too reliant on boundary-hitting and soak up far too many scoreless deliveries for them to be consistently competitive when the big events come around. That was apparent against both the South Africans and Australians.
This is something Pakistan will no doubt want to exploit, especially if the surfaces are helpful enough and the likes of Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Usman Qadir and even the evergreen Mohammad Hafeez are confident enough to challenge the vaunted West Indies power-hitters in the manner of Shamsi and Linde just a few weeks ago.
West Indies ready for Pakistan T20 test in Barbados
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West Indies ready for Pakistan T20 test in Barbados
- West Indies are said to be too reliant on boundary-hitting and soak up far too many scoreless deliveries to be consistently competitive
- West Indies also struggled to chase modest totals in a recent series with South Africa, though they performed well against Australia
Pakistan bank enables Shariah-compliant digital payment facility for passengers at Islamabad airport
Pakistan bank enables Shariah-compliant digital payment facility for passengers at Islamabad airport
- Pakistan is a cash-dominated market where a significant portion of transactions in the informal sector are made without any taxes, officials say
- The move comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to introduce a cashless model at airports under which only digital service providers can provide services
KARACHI: Aik, Pakistan’s first Islamic digital bank, has enabled fully digital payments at Islamabad International Airport to offer travelers and passengers secure, Shariah compliant digital transaction facility.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to introduce a cashless model at airports across the country, under which only digital service providers can provide services to customers.
Aik, a subsidiary of Bank Islami, said it has onboarded merchants across the Islamabad airport and integrated QR code deployments at key touchpoints to allow passengers and visitors to make secure, seamless, and Shariah-compliant digital transactions at all counters, retail outlets, and service points.
It said the implementation complies with the regulations and framework set by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and is a working model for a large-scale adoption of cashless systems in public infrastructure.
“This deployment reflects our commitment to building practical digital infrastructure that improves everyday transactions,” Aik Chief Officer Ashfaque Ahmed said in a statement.
“By enabling a fully cashless environment at a major national gateway, we are supporting efficiency, transparency, and financial inclusion at scale. This is not only a project; it is a foundation for Pakistan’s cashless future.”
Pakistan is a cash-dominated market where a significant portion of transactions, particularly in the informal sector, are conducted in cash. Officials say many of these transactions are aimed at avoiding taxes.
In recent years, the SBP has taken steps to ensure a transition toward a more cashless economy so that transactions are more traceable, reducing chances of tax evasion and corruption.
By digitizing Islamabad airport, aik said it continues to invest in secure and accessible financial solutions that “expand digital participation and support national economic modernization.”
