PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Pakistan clinched the rain-hit four-match Twenty20 series against West Indies 1-0 after the fourth match ended in no result on Tuesday.
Three matches in the series ended in no result due to rain, hurting the preparations of both teams ahead of the T20 World Cup that begins in October.
West Indies were 30-0 in the three overs possible Tuesday before rain forced the players off the field. The match was reduced to nine-overs-a-side, but when play was set to resume at 2 p.m. local time rain arrived once again and the umpires finally called off the play 20 minutes later.
Andre Fletcher had hit off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez for two sixes in the first over and was unbeaten on 17. Chris Gayle also welcomed fast bowler Mohammad Wasim with two successive boundaries and was not out on 12 off six balls.
The first match in Barbados also ended in no result before Pakistan won the second game in Guyana by seven runs. But rain dominated the remaining two games in Guyana with the third game lasting only 1.2 overs.
The teams will now square off in a two-test series in Jamaica with the first beginning Aug. 12.
Pakistan wins rain-hit T20 series against West Indies 1-0
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Pakistan wins rain-hit T20 series against West Indies 1-0
- First match in Barbados ended in no result before Pakistan won second game in Guyana by seven runs
- Rain dominated the remaining two games in Guyana with the third game lasting only 1.2 overs
Pakistan’s president defends ongoing strikes in Afghanistan, urges Kabul to dismantle militants
- Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday
- Pakistan’s military says it is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president on Monday defended his country’s ongoing military strikes in neighboring Afghanistan, saying Islamabad tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory, and called on the Taliban government in Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan earlier said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations including Al-Qaeda and the Daesh (Islamic State) group.
“(The Afghan Taliban) must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy,” Asif Ali Zardari said during a speech to lawmakers, adding that “no state accepts serial attacks on its soil.”
Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming the killing of 435 Afghan forces and the capture of 31 Afghan positions.
Kabul has denied such claims.
In Afghanistan, the deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistan’s military fired mortar shells at a refugee camp in eastern Kunar province, killing three children and injuring three others.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry said Afghan forces carried out strikes targeting a Pakistani military facility near Paktia province, causing “substantial losses and heavy casualties.”
Pakistan’s military did not respond to questions. It has said Pakistan is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge of violence in recent months and blames it on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. It operates both inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.
The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye in October. The two sides failed to reach a permanent agreement during talks in Istanbul.
Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s call for talks, saying, “We have never walked away from dialogue.”
The Pakistani leader again accused Afghanistan of acting as a proxy for India by sheltering militant groups.
“Stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” he said.
Zardari cited a recent report from the United Nations Security Council’s monitoring team that described the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan as an extra-regional threat.
