ISLAMABAD: In the opening match of the 9th HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 championship, Islamabad United, two-time champions, secured a notable 8-wicket win against the reigning champions Lahore Qalandars, with 10 balls to spare, following their decision to field first.
The choice to bowl first paid off for Islamabad, despite a strong start from their adversaries.
Sahibzada Farhan led the charge with a brisk 57 from 36 balls, while Rassie van der Dussen’s aggressive play yielded 71 runs off 41 balls, anchoring the innings.
Lahore’s innings also saw an early setback when opener Fakhar Zaman (13) was dismissed by captain Shadab Khan, failing to clear the field and caught by Faheem Ashraf, curtailing a promising start.
Despite losing 5 wickets, Lahore left a tough target of 196 by the end of their 20-over innings.
In response, Islamabad got off to a confident start, scoring 50 runs in the powerplay while only losing Colin Munro in the process.
An unbeaten knock of 74 by Shadab Khan, which included a 138-run partnership with Salman Ali Agha (64 not out) for the third wicket, led Islamabad to an impressive victory.
Lahore were able to give a competitive target to Islamabad due to van der Dussen’s unbeaten knock, which included four fours and three sixes.
The South African batter, who had featured for United in the last PSL edition, brought up his maiden half-century in the game off just 31 balls.
For Islamabad, Naseem Shah, who returned to competitive cricket after a gap of almost six months, took one wicket for 36 runs.
Leg-spinner Shadab, also came back from injury, giving away 24 runs while bagging a solitary wicket in his quota of four overs.
Tymal Mills was the most successful bowler for Islamabad, getting two wickets for 45 runs in four overs.
Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium would host two matches on Sunday. The first one will be between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi, while the second will bring Multan Sultans and Karachi Kings face to face with each other.
Islamabad United outplays Lahore Qalandars in PSL opener with convincing 8-wicket win
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Islamabad United outplays Lahore Qalandars in PSL opener with convincing 8-wicket win
- The choice to bowl first paid off for Islamabad, despite a strong start from their adversaries who set a 196-run target
- Shadab Khan’s unbeaten knock of 74 powered Islamabad to an impressive victory against the defending champions
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.
