Pakistan’s Rizwan completes fastest 3,000 T20I runs

Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan (R) plays a shot during the second Twenty20 international cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, on April 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 20 April 2024
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Pakistan’s Rizwan completes fastest 3,000 T20I runs

  • Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series against New Zealand with the first game washed out
  • This was Rizwan’s 79th Twenty20 innings, beating his skipper Babar Azam and Indian great Virat Kohli

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan became the fastest batsman to complete 3,000 runs in Twenty20 international cricket during the second match against New Zealand in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
The 31-year-old reached the milestone when he reached 19 during his innings of 45 not out which helped Pakistan chase down a modest 91-run target in 12.1 overs for a seven-wicket victory.
This was Rizwan’s 79th Twenty20 innings, beating his skipper Babar Azam and Indian great Virat Kohli who both completed 3,000 runs in 81 T20I innings.
Rizwan is the eighth batsman to score 3,000 or more runs in Twenty20 internationals with Kohli top of the charts with 4,037 in 117 matches.
Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series with the first game washed out after just two balls, also in Rawalpindi, on Thursday.


Pakistani court sentences TLP leader for 35 years over incitement against ex-chief justice

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Pakistani court sentences TLP leader for 35 years over incitement against ex-chief justice

  • The case stems from a 2024 speech targeting former Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa over a blasphemy ruling
  • Conviction follows the government’s move to proscribe Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan after clashes with police this year

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court this week sentenced a leader of the religio-political party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to 35 years’ imprisonment on multiple charges for inciting hate against former Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.

Peer Zaheer ul Hasan Bukhari made the remarks in a 2024 speech at the Lahore Press Club against the former chief justice for issuing a judgment in a case involving a man named Mubarak Sani under the blasphemy laws, a member of a minority religious community whose death sentence was overturned.

Authorities said Bukhari’s comments amounted to incitement to violence, after which police registered a case against him under various terrorism-related provisions as well as charges of inciting hatred.

The cleric was handed multiple jail terms on a range of charges, with the longest being 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, amounting to a total of 35 years.

“All the sections of imprisonment awarded to the convict shall run concurrently,” Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Arshad Javed said in a letter to the Kot Lakhpat Central Jail superintendent.

A collective fine of Rs600,000 ($,150) was also imposed on the TLP party leader under the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The move follows Pakistan’s decision in October to ban the TLP and designate it a proscribed organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act after violent clashes between its supporters and law enforcement in Punjab.

The unrest erupted as demonstrators attempted to travel from Lahore to Islamabad, saying they wanted to stage a pro-Palestine rally outside the US Embassy.

However, officials said TLP supporters were armed with bricks and batons, arguing their intention was to stir violence similar to earlier marches toward the federal capital.

The clashes between TLP supporters and police resulted in the deaths of five people, including two policemen, and injured more than 100 officers and dozens of protesters.

Led by Saad Hussain Rizvi, the TLP is known for its confrontational street politics and mass mobilizations.

Since its emergence in 2017, the party has repeatedly organized sit-ins and marches toward Islamabad, often triggering violent confrontations and prolonged disruptions on major routes to the capital.