Asia Cup: Dangerous Pakistan meet confident Bangladesh in Super Four clash today

Pakistan's Naseem Shah (C) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Nepal's Aasif Sheikh (not pictured) during the Asia Cup 2023 cricket match between Pakistan and Nepal at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on August 30, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 06 September 2023
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Asia Cup: Dangerous Pakistan meet confident Bangladesh in Super Four clash today

  • Pakistan replace Mohammad Nawaz with all-rounder Faheem Ashraf
  • Bangladesh head into the match after beating Afghanistan on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s dangerous cricket team, equipped with arguably the most lethal pace attack in the Asia Cup tournament, will take on Bangladesh today, Wednesday, at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The contest will be the first clash of the Asia Cup’s Super Four stage, for which Pakistan qualified after beating Nepal comprehensively by 242 runs in the tournament opener and when the Green Shirts’ second match against India was abandoned due to rain on Saturday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, qualified for the Super Four stage after trouncing Group B’s Afghanistan by 89 runs in a game where Najmul Hosain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan smashed centuries.

“Pakistan have made one change to its playing XI against Bangladesh tomorrow,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Fast bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf has replaced spin bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz,” the cricket board added.

Pakistan will be relying heavily on their pace attack, spearheaded by left-arm lethal pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.

During the fixture against India, Afridi took four wickets including the prized scalps of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, veteran batter Virat Kohli and all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf took three wickets each, with the former dominating the Indian batters with his swing and express pace. Pakistan ended up bowling out India for 266 runs before rain played spoilsport.

The match is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.


Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

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Pakistan says repaid over $13.06 billion domestic debt early in last 14 months

  • Finance adviser says repayment shows “decisive shift” toward fiscal discipline, responsible economic management
  • Says Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over $286.6 billion in June 2025 to $284.7 billion in November 2025

KARACHI: Pakistan has repaid Rs3,650 billion [$13.06 billion] in domestic debt before time during the last 14 months, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said on Thursday, adding that the achievement reflected a shift in the country’s approach toward fiscal discipline. 

Schehzad said Pakistan has been repaying its debt before maturity, owed to the market as well as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), since December 2024. He said the government had repaid the central bank Rs300 billion [$1.08 billion] in its latest repayment on Thursday. 

“This landmark achievement reflects a decisive shift toward fiscal discipline, credibility, and responsible economic management,” Schehzad wrote on social media platform X. 

Giving a breakdown of what he said was Pakistan’s “early debt retirement journey,” the finance official said Pakistan retired Rs1,000 billion [$3.576 billion] in December 2024, Rs500 billion [$1.78 billion] in June 2025, Rs1,160 billion [$4.150 billion] in August 2025, Rs200 billion [$715 million] in October 2025, Rs494 billion [$1.76 billion] in December 2025 and $1.08 billion in January 2026. 

He said with the latest debt repaid today, the July to January period of fiscal year 2026 alone recorded Rs2,150 billion [$7.69 billion] in early retirement, which was 44 percent higher than the debt retired in FY25.

He said of the total early repayments, the government has repaid 65 percent of the central bank’s debt, 30 percent of the treasury bills debt and five percent of the Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) debt. 

The official said Pakistan’s total public debt has declined from over Rs 80.5 trillion [$286.6 billion] in June 2025 to Rs80 trillion [$284.7 billion] in November 2025. 

“Crucially, Pakistan’s debt-to-GDP ratio, around 74 percent in FY22, has declined to around 70 percent, reflecting a broader strengthening of fiscal fundamentals alongside disciplined debt management,” Schehzad wrote. 

Pakistan’s government has said the country’s fragile economy is on an upward trajectory. The South Asian country has been trying to navigate a tricky path to economic recovery under a $7 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.