KARACHI: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat against New Zealand in the tri-nation series final on Friday in a dress rehearsal for both teams ahead of next week’s opening game of the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan eliminated South Africa from the final with its epic run-chase of 355-4 at the same venue on Wednesday with captain Mohammad Rizwan and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha scoring centuries.
Pakistan brought in fast bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf for his first ODI since his last appearance against Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup in 2023.
Ashraf replaced fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain, who went wicketless in his eight overs for 72 runs during Pakistan’s highest ever successful run-chase in ODIs two days ago.
“The pitch looks a little dry, and we want to put runs on the board,” Rizwan said at the coin toss.”The ODI win in the last game was massive and it has given us the momentum.”
New Zealand, which beat both Pakistan and South Africa at Lahore last week, made two changes and brought in Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy. Smith replaced fast bowler Matt Henry while Duffy came in place of Ben Sears, who has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy with a hamstring injury.
“The boys have played here a lot and we had two trainings on similar wickets,” New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said. “In Pakistan, the wickets are good. You always want to win, but there’s a bigger picture.”
Lineups:
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Will O’Rourke.
Pakistan win the toss and bat against New Zealand in the tri-nation series final
https://arab.news/4wbw3
Pakistan win the toss and bat against New Zealand in the tri-nation series final
- Final is a dress rehearsal for both teams ahead of next week’s opening game of the Champions Trophy
- Pakistan eliminated South Africa from final with epic run-chase of 355-4 at same venue on Wednesday
Police kill five militants, foil plan to block highway in Pakistan’s southwest
- The militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Mastung district of Balochistan
- Search, combing operations are underway to apprehend accomplices of militants who fled the scene
QUETTA: Pakistan’s counterterrorism police on Monday said they had killed five militants, who were planning to block the Quetta–Sibi highway and target security forces, in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province.
The operation took place in Mastung district when militants affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were planning to carry out “subversive activities” against security forces and the public, according to a CTD spokesperson.
CTD received credible intelligence that armed BLA militants had taken positions near Mastung’s Dasht area to block the Quetta–Sibi highway and target security forces and civilian traffic. Acting swiftly on the information, CTD teams moved into the area. The militants opened indiscriminate fire upon sighting CTD personnel.
“During the encounter, five unknown terrorists were shot dead, while other accomplices managed to flee, taking advantage of the rugged and mountainous terrain,” the CTD spokesperson said in a statement.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a separatist insurgency and witnessed a series of high-profile militant attacks last year. In March, the BLA hijacked a passenger train and the siege killed at least 60 people, while in May, a suicide bombing in Khuzdar killed several children on a school bus.
The separatists accuse the central government of stealing their resources to fund development in Punjab. The federal government denies the allegations and says it is working for the uplift of local communities in Balochistan, where China has been building a deep-sea port as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
Officials found seven hand grenades, five sub-machine guns with live rounds and three motorcycles from the scene, according to the CTD statement.
“Search and combing operations are underway to apprehend the fleeing terrorists and dismantle the remaining network,” it read.
