KARCHI: Pakistan women cricket captain Bismah Maroof said on Saturday the team is gearing up to open their ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 campaign with a match against India.
The ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 is the 12th edition of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, and is being held in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3.
The Pakistani team will face India at the Bay Oval cricket ground in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, on Sunday at 6 a.m. Pakistan time.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement the team had capped weeks of preparations with solid victories against the hosts and Bangladesh in the warm-ups, and is entering the tournament “high on confidence” and optimistic about their chances.
“Everyone is looking forward (to the match against India),” Maroof said, as quoted by the PCB. “It is our first match of the tournament, and we want to win it so we gain the momentum.”
“In such tournaments, it is very important to start good and carry the moment, and, of course, that increases the significance of the first match. I am sure we will be able to meet expectations from us.”
Diana Baig, who will spearhead Pakistan’s pace attack, said the atmosphere in the team is very good.
“We have been putting in the hard yards since our camp in Karachi and now is the time to deliver,” she said. “This is a big moment for us to leave a mark.”
In their next match, Pakistan are scheduled to face Australia on March 8, and South Africa on March 11, also at the Tauranga stadium.
They will play against Bangladesh in Hamilton on March 14, and West Indies on March 21.
On March 24, they are going to play England, and New Zealand on March 26 in Wellington.
The tournament’s final game will be played in Christchurch on April 3.
ICC Women’s World Cup: Pakistan ready to face India in first match
https://arab.news/pavtk
ICC Women’s World Cup: Pakistan ready to face India in first match
- Pakistan will play India in the first ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 match on Sunday
- In their next match, Pakistan are scheduled to face Australia on March 8
IMF hails Pakistan privatization drive, calls PIA sale a ‘milestone’
- Fund backs sale of national airline as key step in divesting loss-making state firms
- IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce fiscal burden posed by state-owned entities
KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday welcomed Pakistan’s privatization efforts, describing the sale of the country’s national airline to a private consortium last month as a milestone that could help advance the divestment of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
The comments follow the government’s sale of a 75 percent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group for Rs 135 billion ($486 million) after several rounds of bidding in a competitive process, marking Islamabad’s second attempt to privatize the carrier after a failed effort a year earlier.
Between the two privatization attempts, PIA resumed flight operations to several international destinations after aviation authorities in the European Union and Britain lifted restrictions nearly five years after the airline was grounded following a deadly Airbus A320 crash in Karachi in 2020 that killed 97 people.
“We welcome the authorities’ privatization efforts and the completion of the PIA privatization process, which was a commitment under the EFF,” Mahir Binici, the IMF’s resident representative in Pakistan, said in response to an Arab News query, referring to the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility.
“This privatization represents a milestone within the authorities’ reform agenda, aimed at decreasing governmental involvement in commercial sectors and attracting investments to promote economic growth in Pakistan,” he added.
The IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce the fiscal burden posed by loss-making state firms, which have weighed public finances for years and required repeated government bailouts. Beyond PIA, the government has signaled plans to restructure or sell stakes in additional SOEs as part of broader reforms under the IMF program.
Privatization also remains politically sensitive in Pakistan, with critics warning of job losses and concerns over national assets, while supporters argue private sector management could improve efficiency and service delivery in chronically underperforming entities.
Pakistan’s Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises said on Friday that SOEs recorded a net loss of Rs 122.9 billion ($442 million) in the 2024–25 fiscal year, compared with a net loss of Rs 30.6 billion ($110 million) in the previous year.
