LAHORE: Hard-hitting batter Usman Khan was Tuesday included in Pakistan’s squad for the Twenty20 international series against New Zealand, four days after he was banned by Emirates Cricket Board.
Usman, 28, was the second highest run scorer in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) last month with 430 in seven matches, while also on the books as a player in a United Arab Emirates (UAE) league.
The Emirates Cricket Board charged him with breaching his obligations to the Board after he attended a training camp for the Pakistan national team last month after the PSL ended.
He was banned from playing cricket in the UAE for five years, missing out on the chance to qualify as a national player for the Gulf state from 2025.
Selector Wahab Riaz justified Usman’s selection.
“Usman has been scoring runs for the last two-three years so he deserved selection and if there are any other issues Pakistan Cricket Board will be dealing with them,” Riaz told media while announcing the squad.
Babar Azam will lead the 17-man squad after he replaced Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain last month.
The five-match series against New Zealand will be played in Rawalpindi (April 18, 20 and 21) and Lahore (April 25 and 27).
Fast bowler Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim are also part of the squad after coming out of retirement.
Amir had abruptly announced his retirement in 2020 following non-selection in the team but continued to play league cricket around the world while Wasim retired last year.
“We will follow a rotation policy to keep our players fit for the World Cup which is our target,” said Riaz.
The Twenty20 World Cup will be held in the United States and the West Indies in June.
Another fast bowler, Haris Rauf, was left out after injuring his shoulder during the PSL.
Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Irfan Khan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usama Mir, Usman Khan, Zaman Khan
UAE-banned Usman Khan in Pakistan squad for New Zealand T20Is
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UAE-banned Usman Khan in Pakistan squad for New Zealand T20Is
- Selector Wahab Riaz says Khan has consistently remained in good form and deserves to be in the team
- He says Pakistan will follow ‘rotation policy’ to keep players fit for the World Cup in the US, West Indies
Pakistan disburses record $9.2 billion agricultural loans in FY25, central bank says
- State Bank says farm lending rose 16 percent year-on-year to Rs2.58 trillion
- Inflation eased to 5.8 percent in January as GDP growth hits 3.7 percent in Q1 FY26
KARACHI: Pakistan disbursed a record Rs2.58 trillion ($9.2 billion) in agricultural loans during fiscal year 2024–25, a 16 percent increase from the previous year, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad said on Thursday while chairing a meeting of the Agricultural Credit Advisory Committee (ACAC).
Agricultural financing is considered critical to Pakistan’s rural economy, where farming contributes nearly one-fifth of GDP and employs a large share of the workforce. The government has repeatedly emphasized expanding credit access to small farmers as part of broader efforts to boost productivity, stabilize food supply and support economic recovery under an IMF-backed reform program.
According to official data shared at the meeting, agricultural credit disbursement reached Rs2.58 trillion in FY25, marking a record high. In the first half of FY26 alone, banks disbursed Rs1,412 billion in agricultural loans, while the number of borrowers increased to 2.97 million.
“During fiscal year 2025, record agricultural loans of Rs2.58 trillion were disbursed, reflecting an annual growth of 16 percent,” the State Bank governor said, according to a statement issued after the meeting.
He added that Pakistan had regained macroeconomic stability and that the economy was moving toward sustainable growth.
The governor said GDP growth in the first quarter of FY26 stood at 3.7 percent, while full-year growth was projected between 3.75 percent and 4.75 percent.
He also noted that headline inflation had declined to 5.8 percent in January 2026.
The committee reviewed measures to further expand credit access, including greater use of the central bank’s Zarkhez-e scheme to facilitate agricultural lending. Members also discussed promoting electronic warehouse receipt financing to enhance post-harvest liquidity and reduce distress sales of crops.
The statement said the purpose of electronic warehouse receipt financing was to “reduce forced sales of crops and strengthen linkages within the agricultural market.”
Agricultural lending has been a focus of Pakistan’s financial inclusion strategy, particularly as policymakers seek to improve rural incomes, stabilize food prices and strengthen export-oriented crop production amid broader economic reforms.
