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
Bangladesh flag carrier to launch Dhaka–Karachi flights this month after over 13 years
- Inaugural flight scheduled to depart from Dhaka to Karachi on Jan, 29, says Biman Bangladesh Airlines spokesperson
- Airline will operate two weekly flights from the Bangladeshi capital to Pakistan’s commercial hub on Thursdays and Saturdays
ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh’s flag carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has announced it will launch direct passenger flights between the cities of Dhaka and Karachi after over 13 years later this month, the airline said on Thursday, as both nations improve historically bitter ties.
Biman will operate two weekly flights to Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city by population and its commercial hub, on Thursdays and Saturdays, the airline’s spokesperson Boshra Islam told Arab News.
“Biman is launching its Karachi operations on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026,” she said, adding that the inaugural flight is scheduled to depart from Dhaka at 8:00 p.m. local time and arrive in Karachi at 11:00 p.m. Pakistan time.
Pakistan has granted Biman initial permission to operate the route for three months until Mar. 26, according to a spokesperson for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority. The approval would be extended later, the official said.
The restoration of the airline’s flights to Pakistan marks a significant step in restoring direct air connectivity between the two South Asian nations.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until 1971, when the latter split from the former after a bloody civil war and became the independent state of Bangladesh.
Ties between both have improved significantly since 2024, after the fall of former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s government due to a student-led uprising. Hasina was widely viewed in Pakistan as being close to India and openly critical of Islamabad.
The resumption of passenger flights comes as aviation and trade links between the two countries begin to recover after decades of limited engagement.
In November last year, state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said it had signed a cargo agreement with Biman Bangladesh Airlines aimed at streamlining air freight operations and boosting bilateral trade.
A PIA spokesperson said the airlines had entered into a Cargo Interline Special Agreement as part of PIA’s strategy to expand its cargo business and offer more competitive services to customers.
Pakistan has stepped up efforts to rebuild relations with Bangladesh as ties between Dhaka and New Delhi remain strained over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina after she fled the country.
In February last year, a cargo vessel sailed directly from Pakistan to Bangladesh for the first time in decades and successfully unloaded its containers, port officials said.
The two countries signed six agreements in August 2025 covering areas such as visa exemptions for diplomatic and official passport holders, trade cooperation, media collaboration and cultural exchanges, officials said.
