ISLAMABAD: Pakistan have surged into the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 after making a dramatic comeback in their last match against Canada, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown with Japan on Saturday.
The Green Shirts have had a notable history in the international men’s field hockey tournament held in Malaysia. Over the years, Pakistan have secured the championship three times, occurring in 1999, 2000, and 2003.
However, their performance remained on a decline in recent years, making it the first time Pakistan have advanced to the tournament final since 2011.
“Pakistan and Japan have qualified for final of the 30th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey tournament,” the state-owned Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday. “The final match of the tournament will be played on Saturday in Ipoh, Malaysia.”
In their last match against Canada on Wednesday, Pakistan faced a 2-0 deficit in the first 17 minutes, though the players showed resilience and prowess to help the squad make a comeback and clinch a narrow 5-4 victory.
Currently leading the table after four matches with three victories and a draw, Pakistan will face Japan in the final match. The two teams drew their previous game after putting in all their effort to defeat each other.
Malaysia and New Zealand trail behind, tied with six points each, occupying the third and fourth spots respectively in the tournament standings.
Pakistan advance to Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final for first time since 2011 after beating Canada
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Pakistan advance to Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final for first time since 2011 after beating Canada
- Pakistan made a dramatic comeback in the last match when they faced a 2-0 deficit in the first 17 minutes
- Green Shirts will face Japan again in the final on Saturday after drawing a match with them in the tournament
Pakistan stocks rebound on easing regional tensions, gain over 1,500 points
- The development came after Iran said it was keeping communication channels with Washington open amid cost-of-living protests
- It followed a threat by President Donald Trump last week to intervene militarily if Tehran continued cracking down on protesters
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) edged higher on Tuesday as the benchmark index gained more than 1,500 points, with analysts citing easing regional tensions following signals of potential talks between Iran and the United States (US).
The benchmark KSE-100 index gained 1,567.36 points, or 0.86 percent, to close at 183,951.50 points, compared to the previous close of 182,384.14 points when the market had shed more than 2,000 points, according to PSX data.
Iran has been witnessing public unrest over worsening economic conditions. Around 2,000 people, including security personnel, have been killed in violent protests, Reuters reported, citing an Iranian official.
Tehran said on Monday that it was keeping communication channels with Washington open as US President Donald Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on countries trading with the Islamic republic.
“Stocks showed sharp recovery at PSX after Iran and US signal talks over unrest in Iran,” Ahsan Mehanti, chief executive officer at Arif Habib Commodities, told Arab News.
“Surging global crude oil prices and speculations ahead of corporate results in the earnings season played a catalyst role in bullish close.”
Najeeb Ahmed Khan Warsi, digital and retail business officer at Al-Habib Capital Market, said the index had seen a three-day bearish streak.
“Geopolitics and global volatility driving downturn, profit-taking and economic concerns weigh in,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistani market research firm Topline Securities said the benchmark index ended the session on a “positive note” on Tuesday.
“Trading interest remained subdued, as total market volumes reached 1,033 million shares, while the value of shares traded stood at Rs62.9 billion,” it said in a daily market review on X.
United Bank Limited (UBL), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Muslim Commercial Bank Limited (MCB), Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK) and Meezan Bank Limited (MEBL) jointly contributed 936 points to the index, according to the research firm.
Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC), Sazgar Engineering Works Limited (SAZEW) and Haleon Pakistan Limited (HALEON) collectively shaved 158 points off the index.
“Bank of Punjab (BOP) led the volume rankings, emerging as the most actively traded stock with 73 million shares,” Topline Securities added.
