CHENNAI: Pakistan captain Babar Azam rued his team’s failure to put pressure on Afghanistan with spin in Monday’s eight-wicket loss at the World Cup.
Pakistani spinners took no wickets in Chennai as their combined 21 overs conceded 6.23 runs an over. Afghanistan chased down the target of 283 with eight wickets to spare.
Spinners have taken only one wicket for Pakistan in their last three matches, all of which the 1992 champions lost as they fell to fifth place.
“In the middle overs, the spinners didn’t bowl as they should have. They didn’t put pressure on (the opponents),” a dejected Babar told reporters.
“When we came here, I saw that the margin of error is very low for bowlers. If you bowl a little bit away from the wicket, you will get hit on that ball. So, we are lacking there a little bit.”
In contrast, Afghan spinners bowled a combined 38 overs and picked up four crucial wickets at an economy rate of 4.63; one of the highest uses of spin by any team in World Cup history.
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said the pitch conditions favored spinners.
“I think when you’ve got the options like we do it’s foolish not to use them, certainly when looking at that pitch today,” he said.
Trott particularly praised 18-year-old Noor Ahmad who took three major wickets in his World Cup debut, giving away just 49 runs in his 10 overs.
“As soon as he got that length right, he spins the ball so much,” the coach said. “When he’s practicing, you hear that ball fizzing.”
Afghan spinners also played a key role in their shock 69-run win over defending champions England earlier in the tournament, taking eight wickets with Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan claiming three each.
The two wins helped propel the Afghans from bottom of the table to sixth place.
A turnaround was still possible for Pakistan, Babar said.
“You never know. It’s cricket. Anything can happen. We will try to play our best cricket till the end,” he added. “We will try to overcome our mistakes.”
Pakistan will stay in Chennai to face South Africa on Friday, while Afghanistan play Sri Lanka in Pune on Sunday.
Babar Azam has no positive spin on Pakistan loss to Afghans
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Babar Azam has no positive spin on Pakistan loss to Afghans
- The Pakistani skipper says the margin of error is very low for bowlers at the ICC World Cup 2023
- Azam vows to play ‘our best cricket till the end’ ahead of crucial match with South Africa on Friday
Death toll in Pakistan shopping plaza fire rises to 67, officials say
- Rescue teams still searching for damaged Gul Plaza in Karachi where blaze erupted on Saturday, says police surgeon
- Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement
KARACHI: The death toll from a devastating fire at a shopping plaza in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi jumped to 67 on Thursday after police and a hospital official confirmed that the remains of dozens more people had been found.
Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said rescue teams were still searching the severely damaged Gul Plaza in the Karachi, where the blaze erupted on Saturday.
Most remains were discovered in fragments, making identification extremely difficult, but the deaths of 67 people have been confirmed, she said. Asad Raza, a senior police official in Karachi, also confirmed the death toll. Authorities previously had confirmed 34 deaths.
Family members of the missing have stayed near the destroyed plaza and hospital, even after providing their DNA for testing. Some have tried to enter the building forcibly, criticizing the rescue efforts as too slow.
“They are not conducting the search properly,” said Khair-un-Nisa, pointing toward the rescuers. She stood outside the building in tears, explaining that a relative who had left to go shopping has been missing since the blaze.
Another woman, Saadia Saeed, said her brother has been trapped inside the building since Saturday night, and she does not know what has happened to him.
“I am ready to go inside the plaza to look for him, but police are not allowing me,” she said.
There was no immediate comment from authorities about accusations they have been too slow.
Many relatives of the missing claim more lives could have been saved if the government had acted more swiftly. Authorities have deployed police around the plaza to prevent relatives from entering the unstable structure, while rescuers continue their careful search.
Investigators say the blaze erupted at a time when most shop owners were either closing for the day or had already left. Since then, the Sindh provincial government has said around 70 people were missing after the flames spread rapidly, fueled by goods such as cosmetics, clothing, and plastic items.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though police have indicated that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.
Karachi has a long history of deadly fires, often linked to poor safety standards, weak regulatory enforcement, and illegal construction.
In November 2023, a shopping mall fire killed 10 people and injured 22. One of Pakistan’s deadliest industrial disasters occurred in 2012, when a garment factory fire killed at least 260 people.
