SHARJAH: Veteran Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik on Sunday admitted a Twenty20 World Cup semifinal against a formidable Australia will give him “butterflies.”
Pakistan completed the Super 12 stage with five wins in as many games with a clinical 72-run win over qualifiers Scotland in Sharjah.
Shoaib smashed a quickfire 18-ball 54 not out — the fastest half century of the tournament — as Pakistan scored 189-2 in 20 overs before keeping Scotland down to 117-6.
This gave Pakistan a mouth-watering semifinal against Australia in Dubai — a repeat of the 2010 T20 World Cup last-four which the Australians won on the last ball in St. Lucia.
“Of course, we are watching Australia play good cricket and so are we, so it will be a tough match for both teams,” said 39-year-old Shoaib after his man-of-the-match knock which contained six sixes and a four.
“It will be a tough challenge for both teams and will give us butterflies but that is always encouraging.”
Shoaib, who has played in all seven editions of the T20 World Cup, will treat Thursday’s semifinal as “just another game.”
“We will take the semifinal as just another game and I think if we do that then we will be able to plan things in a better way,” he said.
Australia finished runners-up in Group 1, winning four of their five matches, but losing out on top spot to England on net run-rate.
Having not won a Twenty20 World Cup yet, Australia are peaking at the right time with opener David Warner returning to form, scoring 89 not out against the West Indies on Saturday.
“We will have a good rest, we are the form team so we need to plan well for the semifinal and this rest will surely help in doing that,” added Shoaib.
“I am enjoying cricket and keeping fit, always love to come to the ground and do my best for my country and today’s innings was like that, highly enjoyable and it helped the team.”
Shoaib, who was not part of the initial squad and was only included when Sohaib Maqsood was ruled out with a back injury, said the omission had hurt.
“I was playing the Caribbean Premier League when the initial squad was announced and when my name was not there, it hurt but I had a way to get my frustration out as I was playing.
“Then I came back to Pakistan and did well in the National Twenty20 and luckily got selected, so I am happy that I am here and enjoying my time.”
Pakistan star Shoaib says has ‘butterflies’ over facing Australia at semifinal in Dubai
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Pakistan star Shoaib says has ‘butterflies’ over facing Australia at semifinal in Dubai
- Pakistan completed the Super 12 stage with five wins in as many games
- Having not won a Twenty20 World Cup yet, Australia are peaking at the right time
Pakistan steps up digital payments, financial inclusion push in talks with Visa
- Meeting focused on expanding cashless payments, government digitization, financial inclusion beyond major cities
- Talks come as Pakistan accelerates IMF-backed reforms, pushes digital modernization of public finances
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance minister has met senior executives of payments giant Visa to discuss advancing digital payments, financial inclusion and broader economic reforms as the government accelerates its digitization agenda, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported on Thursday.
The meeting comes as Pakistan seeks to modernize its largely cash-based economy, widen access to formal financial services and improve transparency in government transactions under an International Monetary Fund-supported reform program. Digital payments are viewed by policymakers as a key lever to expand financial inclusion, improve tax documentation and support small and nano businesses.
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stepped up efforts to digitize public finances and payment systems as part of wider economic stabilization and reform measures, including restructuring state-owned enterprises, improving energy-sector governance and accelerating privatization. Officials say digitalization is being driven at the highest political level to ensure coordination across government institutions.
“Both sides exchanged views on the acceleration of Pakistan’s digital transformation, with particular emphasis on digital infrastructure, payment systems, and the digitization of government payments,” the APP news agency reported, citing the finance ministry.
According to APP, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb briefed the Visa delegation on progress under the IMF-supported program, recent external validations from international credit rating agencies and the government’s broader reform agenda spanning taxation, public debt management, energy reforms and privatization.
The discussions also covered efforts to strengthen Pakistan’s digital payments ecosystem, including reforms to payment rails under the State Bank of Pakistan, the establishment of the Pakistan Digital Authority and initiatives to digitize government receipts and expenditures to improve efficiency and service delivery.
Visa executives shared insights from their engagement with banks, fintech firms and other stakeholders in Pakistan, noting growing confidence linked to macroeconomic stabilization and rising interest in expanding digital payments and financial inclusion, APP said. Talks included cash displacement, fraud prevention, support for small businesses, QR-based payments and expanding acceptance infrastructure beyond major cities.
The meeting also touched on emerging areas such as remittances, e-commerce, tourism-related spending by overseas Pakistanis and the potential use of new technologies, including blockchain and digital assets, within a regulated framework, according to APP.
