ISLAMABAD: With just days left before the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2024 kicks off, Peshawar Zalmi’s owner said on Sunday that the franchise plans to continue “amassing titles” in the future as a promise to its fans.
PSL, Pakistan’s national cricket league, was launched in 2016 and has since then seen unexpected success. Managed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the PSL is Pakistan’s professional T20 cricket league that features six franchises representing various Pakistani cities.
Peshawar Zalmi, also known as the “Yellow Storm,” is arguably one of the most popular franchises in the six-team tournament. With skipper Babar Azam and an array of talented, explosive batters at their display, Peshawar Zalmi will be one of the toughest sides to beat in this year’s tournament.
In the past eight editions of the PSL, Peshawar Zalmi holds the most impressive record as they have featured in four finals and have at least reached the play-offs on every other occasion.
“The plan on our horizon is to continue amassing titles, not merely as a testament to our cricketing prowess but as a promise to the people of Peshawar who eagerly await to see their favorite players in action on their home ground,” Zalmi owner Javed Afridi said in a statement.
Challenging security conditions mean the PSL has so far not been played in Zalmi’s home ground, the northwestern city of Peshawar. The Yellow Storm won PSL 2 trophy in front of a packed Pakistani crowd in 2017 at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Afridi remembers the memory of winning the trophy and what it meant to millions of Zalmi fans.
“The significance of bringing home the title surpassed the realm of a mere cricketing achievement; it became a unifying force that reverberated across the entire Pashtun community and beyond,” he said.
While the PSL 2024 kicks off on Feb. 17, Zalmi play their first match against the Quetta Gladiators at the Qaddafi Stadium on Sunday, February 18.
Peshawar Zalmi’s fixtures for PSL 9:
18 February v Quetta Gladiators, Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore
21 February v Karachi Kings, Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore
23 February v Multan Sultans, Multan Cricket Stadium
25 February v Lahore Qalandars, Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore
26 February v Islamabad United, Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore
2 March v Lahore Qalandars, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
4 March v Islamabad United, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
5 March v Multan Sultans, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
8 March v Quetta Gladiators, Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
11 March v Karachi Kings, National Bank Stadium, Karachi
Peshawar Zalmi eyes ‘amassing titles’ days before PSL 2024 kicks off
https://arab.news/4bw2u
Peshawar Zalmi eyes ‘amassing titles’ days before PSL 2024 kicks off
- Peshawar Zalmi is one of the most popular franchises in the Pakistan Super League tournament
- The side has is captained by Babar Azam and has array of talented, explosive batters at its display
Pakistan highlights economic reforms at Davos, eyes cooperation in AI, IT and minerals
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks at breakfast event in Davos at sidelines of World Economic Forum summit
- Pakistan, rich in gold, copper reserves, has sought cooperation with China, US, Gulf countries in its mineral sector
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted Pakistan’s recent economic reforms during the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos on Wednesday, saying that his country was eyeing greater cooperation in mines and minerals, information technology, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence with other states.
The Pakistani prime minister was speaking at the Pakistan Pavilion in Davos on the sidelines of the WEF summit at a breakfast event. Sharif arrived in Switzerland on Tuesday to attend the 56th annual meeting of the WEF, which brings together global business leaders, policymakers and politicians to speak on social, economic and political challenges.
Pakistan has recently undertaken several economic reforms, which include removing subsidies on energy and food, privatization of loss-making state-owned enterprises and expanding its tax base. Islamabad took the measures as part of reforms it agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a financial bailout package.
“We are now into mines and minerals business in a big way,” Sharif said at the event. “We have signed agreements with American companies and Chinese companies.”
Islamabad has sought to attract foreign investment in its critical minerals sector in recent months. In April 2025, Pakistan hosted an international minerals summit where top companies and government officials from the US, Saudi Arabia, China, Türkiye, the UK, Azerbaijan, and other nations attended.
Pakistan is rich in gold, copper and lithium reserves as well as other minerals, yet its mineral sector contributes only 3.2 percent to the countrys GDP and 0.1 percent to global exports, according to official figures.
Sharif said Pakistan has been blessed with infinite natural resources which are buried in its mountains in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and southwestern Balochistan regions.
“But we have now decided to go forward at lightning speed,” he said. “And we are also moving speedily in the field of crypto, AI, IT.”
He said the government’s fiscal and economic measures have reduced inflation from nearly 30 percent a few years ago to single-digit figures, adding that its tax-to-GDP ratio had also increased from 9 to 10.5 percent.
The prime minister admitted Pakistan’s exports face different kinds of challenges collectively, saying the country’s social indicators needed to improve.
“But the way forward is very clear: that Pakistan has to have an export-led growth,” he said.
SHARIF MEETS IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR
Separately, Sharif met IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on improvements in Pakistan’s macroeconomic indicators, efforts toward stability and progress on institutional reforms, a statement from Sharif’s office said.
He emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to fiscal discipline, revenue mobilization and sustainable development, it added.
The IMF managing director acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan’s reform efforts, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“Both sides exchanged views on the global economic outlook, challenges facing emerging economies, and the importance of multilateral cooperation in safeguarding economic stability,” the PMO said.
