ISLAMABAD: Skipper Babar Azam’s Peshawar Zalmi this week vanquished table-toppers Multan Sultans for a second time but if it wasn’t for Mehran Mumtaz’s economical bowling, Multan may have snatched the victory.
Zalmi defeated the Sultans by four runs to grab two important points on Tuesday when the two sides locked horns for a Pakistan Super League (PSL) clash in Rawalpindi. While skipper Babar Azam and Saim Ayub made important contributions to Zalmi’s victory with scores of 64 and 46, slow left-arm orthodox bowler Mumtaz took the vital wicket of Reeza Hendricks, and gave away only 20 runs from his four overs.
Mumtaz, who has played for Pakistan’s Under-16 and Under-19 cricket circuit with superstars Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, however, comes from humble beginnings. Before he was picked for this year’s PSL, Mumtaz used to work for meager wages at Rawalpindi’s Sunday market.
“The ground where I played in, there is a Sunday market set up outside it,” Mumtaz told Independent Urdu in an interview this week. “I used to work at the Sunday market with my brother because he used to do that. So, I’ve done that work too.”
In his message to other players, Mumtaz said there is no shortcut when it comes to garnering success as a professional cricketer.
“You have to struggle a lot and if I am Mehran Mumtaz today, then there are 10-11 years of struggle behind it,” he said.
The 20-year-old cricketer credited his parents and coach for supporting him throughout his professional career.
“My message to youngsters would be that if you are here to play cricket then you will have to give it all your time,” Mumtaz said.
Mumtaz, who received his debut cap in the last match, is already looking forward to the next couple of games.
“I am very confident and in the next couple of matches, I will try to do even better, which helps my team win,” he said.
Meet Mehran Mumtaz, Peshawar Zalmi’s budding star who came from humble beginnings
https://arab.news/v6nks
Meet Mehran Mumtaz, Peshawar Zalmi’s budding star who came from humble beginnings
- Mehran Mumtaz bowled economically to help Peshawar Zalmi beat Multan Sultans on Tuesday
- Mumtaz used to work at Rawalpindi’s Sunday market before getting picked for Peshawar Zalmi
Pakistan police detain teen girl radicalized online in suspected suicide bombing plot
- The girl was targeted online by the Baloch Liberation Army, which was designated as a terrorist group by the US this year
- In 2022, a female suicide bomber affiliated with the BLA killed three Chinese teachers near a university campus in Karachi
KARACHI: Police in Pakistan detained a teenage girl who was radicalized and recruited online by an outlawed separatist group to carry out a “major suicide attack,” authorities said Monday.
No criminal charges will be filed and she will be placed under state protection as “a victim rather than a suspect,” Sindh provincial Home Minister Ziaul Hassan said at a news conference.
The girl was detained during a routine police check on buses as she traveled to Karachi, the Sindh province capital, from southwestern Balochistan province to meet a handler, Hassan said.
The girl was targeted online by the Baloch Liberation Army, which was designated as a terrorist group by the United States earlier this year. The group convinced the girl that carrying out an attack would bring her honor and recognition within the Baloch community, similar to other women who have carried out suicide bombings against security forces, Hassan said.
“The girl appeared confused when police officers asked her routine questions,” said Hassan, who added that she was taken to a police facility and disclosed months of contact with militants through social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
The girl appeared with her mother at a news conference but her face was covered and her name and age were withheld. Police showed a video statement she made with details about her contacts with BLA and how she agreed to carry out a suicide attack.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar condemned BLA and other separatist groups for luring people toward violence and said detaining the girl prevented a potential large loss of life.
Baloch separatists have waged an insurgency since the early 2000s seeking greater autonomy and in some cases independence from Pakistan while demanding a larger share of natural resources.
Authorities said the group has attempted to increase its use of female attackers in recent years. A female suicide bomber affiliated with BLA killed three Chinese teachers in 2022 near a university campus in Karachi.
