ISLAMABAD: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said on Wednesday the national cricket team was ready to compete in the Twenty20 World Cup, describing the bowling attack as the squad’s strength during the tournament.
The Green Shirts are scheduled to play their first World Cup match against the USA on June 6 in Dallas, Texas.
The team produced mixed results on the recent tour of Ireland and England, pivotal to their preparations for the major T20 tournament.
They won the T20I series against Ireland but lost the T20I series to England. These performances reflected Pakistan’s ongoing adjustments and preparations heading into the T20 World Cup.
“If we talk about the strength of the team, I have a great deal of trust over our bowling,” he told a group of journalists during an informal media interaction in Dallas.
“Conditions are in favor of fast bowlers,” he continued. “We will try not to repeat our past mistakes. All the senior players will have to step up and take the responsibility.”
He said he was flexible about the batting order after criticism on opener Saim Ayub who could not give his best performance in recent matches.
However, he maintained that he trusted every player as a captain, saying that some of them just needed a good innings or a match to get back into the element.
Asked about the first match with the USA, Azam said the home conditions were in favor of the opposing side, though he believed in the team’s ability to play good cricket.
Skipper Babar Azam confident in Pakistan’s bowling strength ahead of T20 World Cup opener
https://arab.news/mz66n
Skipper Babar Azam confident in Pakistan’s bowling strength ahead of T20 World Cup opener
- Azam says he trusts all his players as a captain, though some of them need a good innings to get going
- He says batting order will remain flexible after opener Saim Ayub failure to perform in recent matches
Pakistan invites investors, innovators to back tech partnerships, announces national AI event
- Indus AI Week 2026 to run Feb. 9–15 as IT minister cites inclusive AI policy launched last year
- The week-long event will bring together relevant officials, startups, investors and universities
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday invited foreign investors and technology innovators to engage with its emerging artificial intelligence ecosystem as the government announced a week-long national AI initiative aimed at accelerating adoption across the public and private sectors.
Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the government would host Indus AI Week 2026 from Feb. 9 to 15, building on Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence Policy introduced last year to promote responsible use of the technology.
The announcement comes as Pakistan seeks to position itself as a credible participant in the global AI economy, amid growing interest from governments in the Global South to harness AI for productivity, skills development and innovation while managing regulatory and ethical risks.
“With the introduction of Pakistan’s National AI Policy last year, we laid the foundation for responsible and inclusive AI development,” Khawaja said, according to an official statement circulated by her ministry. “Indus AI Week reflects our determination to take that work further by moving beyond dialogue and toward adoption.”
“We invite international partners, investors and innovators to engage with Pakistan’s growing AI landscape,” she added.
The initiative will be organized by the IT ministry through a public-private partnership and is designed as an open national platform bringing together policymakers, technology firms, startups, universities, students and the wider public.
The program will include a national technology showcase, startup and innovation sessions linking founders with investors, skills training and certification opportunities and public engagement activities aimed at translating AI policy into practical use cases.
The week will open with the Indus AI Summit at Islamabad’s Jinnah Convention Center on Feb. 9, followed by an innovation and learning arena at the Islamabad Sports Complex on Feb. 9-10, with universities, companies and public institutions across the country hosting parallel events through Feb. 15.
