ISLAMABAD: Multan Sultans brushed aside Peshawar Zalmi, beating the “Yellow Storm” by seven wickets at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Thursday to reach the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) tournament for a fourth consecutive time.
Batting second, the Sultans were handed a modest 147-run target by Zalmi, who finished at 146/7 from their 20 overs. Skipper Muhammad Rizwan could only score 15 runs from 21 balls before he was dismissed by Aamer Jamal.
Opener Yasir Khan scored 54 runs from 37 balls while Usman Khan remained unbeaten on 36. A 22-run blitz from Iftikhar Ahmed sealed the win for the Sultans.
“Clinical. Commanding. Teamwork puts us in the driving seat once again,” the Sultans wrote on social media platform X after clinching the convincing victory.
Batting first, Zalmi were unable to stop the flurry of wickets that kept falling throughout the innings. Skipper Babar Azam top-scored with 46 runs from 42 balls before a blistering yorker from Chris Jordan sent him back to the pavilion.
Opener Saim Ayub failed to impress, scoring only one run from four balls before he was dismissed by David Willey. Mohammad Haris scored 22 runs from 14 balls while Tom Kohler-Cadmore gave some support to the Yellow Storm in the middle by scoring a run-a-ball 24.
Jordan returned figures of 2/28 while Usama Mir finished with 2/16 to keep the Zalmi batters restricted to 146/7. Abbas Afridi, Willey and Mohammad Ali all took a single wicket each for the Sultans.
Zalmi will face the winner of Friday’s match between Islamabad United and Quetta Gladiators on Saturday, in Eliminator 2.
The winner of Eliminator 2 will go on to meet the Sultans in the final on Mar. 18.
Multan Sultans thrash Peshawar Zalmi to storm into fourth consecutive PSL final
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Multan Sultans thrash Peshawar Zalmi to storm into fourth consecutive PSL final
- Multan Sultans beat Peshawar Zalmi by seven wickets in Karachi to qualify for final
- Peshawar Zalmi will face the winner of Friday’s Eliminator 1 for a place in the final
Pakistan, ADB sign $730 loan agreements to boost SOE reforms, energy infrastructure
- Both sign $330 million Power Transmission Strengthening Project and $400 million SOE Transformation Program loan agreements
- Economic Affairs Division official says Transmission Project will secure Pakistan’s energy future by strengthening national grid’s backbone
KARACHI: Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday signed two loan agreements totaling $730 million to boost reforms in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and energy infrastructure in the country, the bank said.
The first of the two agreements pertains to the SOE Transformation Program worth $400 million while the second loan, worth $330 million, is for a Power Transmission Strengthening Project, the lender said.
The agreements were signed by ADB Country Director for Pakistan Emma Fan and Pakistan’s Secretary of Economic Affairs Division Humair Karim.
“The agreements demonstrate ADB’s enduring commitment to supporting sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Pakistan,” the ADB said.
Pakistan’s SOEs have incurred losses worth billions of dollars over the years due to financial mismanagement and corruption. These entities, including the country’s national airline Pakistan International Airlines, which was sold to a private group this week, have relied on subsequent government bailouts over the years to operate.
The ADB approved the $400 million loan for SOE reforms on Dec. 12. It said the program seeks to improve governance and optimize the performance of Pakistan’s commercial SOEs.
Karim highlighted that the Power Transmission Strengthening Project will enable reliable evacuation of 2,300 MW from Pakistan’s upcoming hydropower projects, relieve overloading of existing transmission lines and enhance resilience under contingency conditions, the Press Information Department (PID) said.
“The Secretary emphasized that both initiatives are transformative in nature as the Transmission Project will secure Pakistan’s energy future by strengthening the backbone of the national grid whereas the SOE Program will enhance transparency, efficiency and sustainability of state-owned enterprises nationwide,” the PID said.
The ADB has supported reforms by Pakistan to strengthen its public finance and social protection systems. It has also undertaken programs in the country to help with post-flood reconstruction, improve food security and social and human capital.
To date, ADB says it has committed 764 public sector loans, grants and technical assistance totaling $43.4 billion to Pakistan.
