KARACHI: West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss and opted to bat against Pakistan in the COVID-disrupted third and final Twenty20 international in Karachi on Thursday.
The match was nearly called off after five more members of the touring squad — including three players — tested positive for COVID-19.
Six players were ruled out overall, but the West Indies agreed to play after the remaining 14 players tested negative.
Gudakesh Motie makes his international debut at 26, with Darren Bravo also coming into the side.
Shai Hope and Akeal Hosein were both left out after testing positive for the virus.
Pakistan, already 2-0 up, rested pace spearheads Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf and brought in Mohammad Hasnain and Shahnawaz Dahani.
The fate of the three-match ODI series — starting in Karachi from Saturday — is hanging in the balance over the COVID outbreak.
West Indies bat against Pakistan in COVID-hit final T20
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West Indies bat against Pakistan in COVID-hit final T20
- The match was nearly called off after five more members of the touring squad tested positive for COVID-19
- Six players were ruled out overall, but the West Indies agreed to play with the remaining squad
Pakistan, Oman navies discuss maritime security, ink agreement to share shipping data
- Visiting Oman royal navy commander calls on Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf in Islamabad
- White shipping agreement refers to exchange of prior information on movement of commercial ships
ISLAMABAD: The naval commanders of Pakistan and Oman discussed regional maritime security on Wednesday and signed an agreement to share shipping information with each other, the Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
The press release followed a meeting between Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf and the visiting Oman Royal Navy Commander Rear Admiral Saif Bin Nasser Bin Mohsin Al Rahbi at Naval Headquarters in Islamabad.
Both navies maintain close professional relations, reflected in expert-level staff talks, joint training, bilateral exercises, and participation in multilateral exercises between the Pakistan Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman.
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional maritime security and bilateral naval cooperation were discussed,” the Pakistan Navy said.
The MoU was signed by both sides at a ceremony at the Naval Headquarters, the navy’s media wing confirmed.
“The MoU is aimed at establishing of guidelines and procedures for information sharing in order to enhance mutual awareness of white shipping,” the Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
White shipping agreement refers to the exchange of prior information on the movement and identity of commercial non-military merchant vessels.
Information regarding the identity of vessels helps countries tackle potential threats from sea routes. This particularly helps in the development of a proper regional maritime domain awareness
The statement said Al Rahbi lauded Pakistan Navy’s professionalism and acknowledged its ongoing contributions to maritime security and regional stability.
Pakistan and Oman share geographical proximity and common maritime boundaries. Bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries span a wide range of areas, including economic cooperation, people-to-people contacts and strong defense ties.
In December, a Royal Navy flotilla from Oman visited Karachi to take part in the annual bilateral Thamar Al Tayyib (TAT) 2025 exercise.
Pakistan Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman have been conducting the TAT series of exercises regularly since 1980.
