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
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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, global crypto exchange discuss modernizing digital payments, creating job prospects
- Pakistani officials, Binance team discuss coordination between Islamabad, local banks and global exchanges
- Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance officials and the team of a global cryptocurrency exchange on Friday held discussions aimed at modernizing the country’s digital payments system and building local talent pipelines to meet rising demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, the finance ministry said.
The development took place during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib, domestic bank presidents and a Binance team led by Global CEO Richard Teng. The meeting was held to advance work on Pakistan’s National Digital Asset Framework, a regulatory setup to govern Pakistan’s digital assets.
Pakistan has been moving to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight, and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.
“Participants reviewed opportunities to modernize Pakistan’s digital payments landscape, noting that blockchain-based systems could significantly reduce costs from the country’s $38 billion annual remittance flows,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
“Discussions also emphasized building local talent pipelines to meet rising global demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, creating high-value employment prospects for Pakistani youth.”
Blockchain is a type of digital database that is shared, transparent and tamper-resistant. Instead of being stored on one computer, the data is kept on a distributed network of computers, making it very hard to alter or hack.
Web3 refers to the next generation of the Internet built using blockchain, focusing on giving users more control over their data, identity and digital assets rather than big tech companies controlling it.
Participants of the meeting also discussed sovereign debt tokenization, which is the process of converting a country’s debt such as government bonds, into digital tokens on a blockchain, the ministry said.
Aurangzeb called for close coordination between the government, domestic banks and global exchanges to modernize Pakistan’s payment landscape.
Participants of the meeting also discussed considering a “time-bound amnesty” to encourage users to move assets onto regulated platforms, stressing the need for stronger verifications and a risk-mitigation system.
Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, crack down on money laundering and terror financing, and promote responsible innovation — a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.
