ISLAMABAD: Impressive performances from Haider Ali and Imad Wasim on Saturday night ensured Islamabad United qualified for their first Pakistan Super League (PSL) final since 2018, beating Peshawar Zalmi by five wickets in the Eliminator 2 of the tournament in Karachi.
Zalmi, who ended up with 185-5 after 20 overs, struck early blows during United’s batting when all-rounder Saim Ayub dismissed Alex Hales and Salman Ali Agha for 1 and 5 runs respectively.
Reeling at 50-4, United got a breather when Azam Khan and Imad Wasim got together to put up a 41-run fifth-wicket partnership, bringing some stability to the team. Luke Wood clean bowled Azam, who scored 22 from 17, to leave United at 91/5, requiring a further 95 runs in nine overs.
“Haider Ali joined Imad in the middle and the duo took it upon themselves to stage the rescue act,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a report.
Ali scored an unbeaten 52 runs from 29 balls, hitting five sixes and two fours while Wasim finished with 59 off 40 balls, hitting nine fours.
United chased the target with one over to spare, ending up with a score of 189/5 at the end of 19 overs. Wasim was awarded the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten half-century.
United pacer Naseem Shah was the pick of his team’s bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/30 from his four overs. He took the vital scalps of Zalmi skipper Babar Azam, Mohammad Haris and Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
Speaking at the post-match ceremony, a disappointed Azam said his team lost the decisive match as they bowled “ordinarily” after the first 10 overs.
“I think we were in a good position after 10 overs. But our bowling after that was very bad. We weren’t up to the mark and we thought we had won the match,” he said.
United will take on former champions Multan Sultans at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi on Monday, Mar. 18, for the PSL 2024 final.
Islamabad stun Peshawar to qualify for first PSL final in six years
https://arab.news/2823f
Islamabad stun Peshawar to qualify for first PSL final in six years
- Haider Ali, Imad Wasim score unbeaten half-centuries to help Islamabad beat Peshawar by five wickets
- Islamabad will lock horns with Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League final on Monday, Mar. 18
Pakistan condemns Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, calls it detrimental to peace in East Africa
- The foreign office reaffirms support for Somalia’s sovereignty, calling Israel’s move illegal and destabilizing for the region
- Islamabad rejects forced displacement of Palestinians amid reports of Israeli outreach to East African states over Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday condemned Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland, a breakaway African region, calling it a violation of international law and reaffirming its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, the foreign office said.
Israel this week announced it had recognized Somaliland — a self-declared region that broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not previously been recognized by any United Nations member state — triggering condemnation from Somalia and criticism from regional bodies.
“Pakistan strongly condemns any attempts to undermine the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and rejects, in this regard, the announcement made by Israel recognising the independence of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Such illegal and provocative actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law and not only threaten the peace and stability of the brotherly country of Somalia, but also that of the entire region,” it continued. “The international community must step in to reject any such actions, and prevent and deter Israel from undermining the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the broader region.”
The statement also linked the issue to the wider Middle East conflict, with Pakistan reiterating its opposition to any attempts at the forced displacement of Palestinians.
The foreign office’s reference to the issue came in the context of international media reports earlier this year in March, saying Israel and the United States had reached out to East African states, including Somaliland, to take in Palestinians from Gaza.
“Pakistan reiterates its unequivocal rejection of any steps aimed at the forced displacement of Palestinians from their land under any circumstances,” the statement said, reaffirming support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Somalia’s government has said Israel’s recognition of Somaliland violates its sovereignty, while the African Union has opposed unilateral recognition of breakaway regions on the continent.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday his country had recognized Somaliland “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords,” referring to US-brokered deals that helped establish ties between Israel and Arab states.
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