ISLAMABAD: Karachi Kings were no match for Islamabad United on Thursday as the home side thrashed the Kings by five wickets at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to solidify their position for ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs.
Chasing 151 runs, United lost wickets earlier when opening batters Alex Hales and Colin Munro departed for 18 and 9 runs respectively. However, a 58-run partnership between in-form batters Shadab Khan (34) and Salman Ali Agha (33) helped United reach a comfortable position to complete the chase.
After explosive batter Azam Khan fell for 9 runs, Haider Ali held his nerves to score 26 runs from 16 balls to help United clinch the match.
“A huge shoutout to Haider Ali and Faheem Ashraf for closing out the match with style and to Salman Ali Agha & Shadab Khan for laying a solid foundation for our chase,” United wrote on social media platform X.
United’s left-arm pacer Tymal Mills returned to form against the Kings, returning figures of 3/34. He dismissed James Vince (29) Mohammad Nawaz (5) and Irfan Khan (16) to ensure the Kings finished with a modest total of 150 from their 20 overs.
For the Kings, Keiron Pollard scored 39 runs, hitting three sixes and an equal number of fours but did not get ample support from any of the Karachi batters. Faheem Ashraf bowled well for United too, returning figures of 2/16 while Imad Wasim and Hunain Shah picked up a wicket each.
With their latest win, United jumped from the number four to the number two spot behind Multan Sultans. The Kings, on the other hand, remain at the fifth spot on the PSL points table, ahead of only bottom-placed Lahore Qalandars.
The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs.
Islamabad brush aside Karachi challenge to solidify position ahead of playoffs
https://arab.news/6wvgz
Islamabad brush aside Karachi challenge to solidify position ahead of playoffs
- Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by five wickets to jump to second place on PSL points table
- Tymal Mills takes three important wickets, Faheem Ashraf two to restrict Karachi to 150/7
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.
