‘Unforeseen circumstances’: Bangladesh Cricket Board says team’s departure for Islamabad delayed 

‘Unforeseen circumstances’: Bangladesh Cricket Board says team’s departure for Islamabad delayed 
Bangladesh’s team celebrates their win against Zimbabwe at the fourth Twenty20 international cricket match in Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium of Dhaka on May 10, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 05 August 2024
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‘Unforeseen circumstances’: Bangladesh Cricket Board says team’s departure for Islamabad delayed 

‘Unforeseen circumstances’: Bangladesh Cricket Board says team’s departure for Islamabad delayed 
  • Delay of 48 hours likely due to upheaval in Bangladesh after PM Sheikh Hasina resigned amid protests 
  • Unrest also threatens upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, slated for October in Bangladesh

ISLAMABAD: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has said its men’s ‘A’ team’s departure for Islamabad had been delayed by 48 hours due to “unforeseen circumstances,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.

The news of the delay comes as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country on Monday after hundreds of people were killed in a crackdown on demonstrations that began as protests against job quotas and swelled into a movement demanding her downfall.

The Bangladesh “A” cricket team was due to arrive in Islamabad early on Wednesday for two four-day and three 50-over matches from August 10-27.

“The BCB and PCB have been in regular contact for the past two days and will continue to work together on the revised tour itinerary with further details to follow in due course,” the PCB said in a statement.

The unrest threatens not only the Pakistan series but also the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, slated for October in Bangladesh.


Chinese premier could inaugurate Beijing-funded airport in Pakistan during visit

Chinese premier could inaugurate Beijing-funded airport in Pakistan during visit
Updated 13 October 2024
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Chinese premier could inaugurate Beijing-funded airport in Pakistan during visit

Chinese premier could inaugurate Beijing-funded airport in Pakistan during visit
  • The start of operations at the $200-million Gwadar International Airport has been pushed back after deadly attacks by separatist militants
  • Premier Li Qiang, along with ministers and government officials, will visit Pakistan from Oct. 14 to 17, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said

KARACHI: Chinese premier Li Qiang could inaugurate operations at a Chinese-funded airport in Pakistan’s Balochistan province during his visit to the country in the coming week, information minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters on Sunday.
The start of operations at the $200-million Gwadar International Airport has been pushed back for a security review after deadly attacks by separatist militants in August in the area, government and aviation sources said.
Li, along with ministers and government officials, will visit Pakistan from Oct. 14 to 17, Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said on Sunday.
Pakistan is hosting the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which comprises nine full members, including China, India, Iran and Russia, and is scheduled for Oct. 15 and 16 in Islamabad.
The new airport will handle domestic and international flights, according to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, and will be one of the country’s biggest airports.
The initial plan was for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to inaugurate the airport on Aug. 14 alongside Chinese officials, but that was called off after an ethnic Baloch rights group started a sit-in protest, the officials said.
A decades-long insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant groups has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region to press demands for a share in mineral-rich regional resources.
Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi last week, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said.
Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said had targeted Chinese nationals, including engineers.
China said on Thursday it would work with Pakistan to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.
Besides the separatists, the region is also home to Islamist militants, who have been active again since 2022 after revoking a ceasefire with the government.


SCO summit: Authorities issue three-day traffic diversion plan for Islamabad, Rawalpindi

SCO summit: Authorities issue three-day traffic diversion plan for Islamabad, Rawalpindi
Updated 13 October 2024
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SCO summit: Authorities issue three-day traffic diversion plan for Islamabad, Rawalpindi

SCO summit: Authorities issue three-day traffic diversion plan for Islamabad, Rawalpindi
  • Pakistan is hosting the SCO Council of Heads of Government summit in Islamabad on Oct. 15-16 under its rotating chairmanship of the organization
  • The summit comes amid heightened security concerns due to a rise in militant attacks as well as a protest call by jailed ex-PM Imran Khan’s party

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police on Sunday issued a traffic plan for the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi from Oct. 14 till Oct. 16 on account of a meeting of representatives of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states.
Pakistan is hosting the SCO Council of Heads of Government summit in Islamabad on Oct. 15-16 under its rotating chairmanship of the organization, with the participants expected to discuss issues related to trade, economic cooperation, security, and regional stability.
The summit comes amid heightened security concerns due to a rise in militant attacks across the South Asian country as well as a call for protest by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party over a denial by authorities to visit him.
In a statement on Sunday, the Islamabad traffic police advised residents of the twin cities and travelers to take alternate routes to avoid any inconvenience, saying more than 1,100 traffic officials will be on duty for the SCO summit from Oct. 14 till Oct. 16.
“People traveling from Peshawar to Rawat via GT Road should go through Taxila, Motorway, Chakri Interchange and Chak Baili Road,” they said in the statement.
“Those traveling from Lahore to Peshawar via GT Road should take the Rawat, Chak Baili Road, Chakri Interchange, Motorway and Taxila route.”
People traveling from Islamabad to Rawalpindi via Margalla Road were asked to use 9th Avenue as traffic from Faisal Avenue to Zero Point would be diverted toward 9th Avenue, according to the statement.
Those who wish to travel from Bharakahu to Rawalpindi may go via Qur’ang Road, Bani Gala and Lehtrar Road, while those coming to Islamabad from Rawalpindi may use Murree Road from Saddar.
“[Islamabad] Expressway will remain closed for all traffic from Zero Point, Faisal Avenue till Koral Chowk,” the statement read. “Those coming to Faizabad via Col. Sher Khan Shaheed Road should use Stadium Road from the 9th Avenue signal.”
For heavy traffic vehicles en route to Lahore from Peshawar, the traffic police urged drivers to take the Taxila, Motorway, Tarnol Railway Crossing, Fateh Jung Road Interchange and Motorway.
Similarly, heavy traffic coming to the twin cities from Lahore would be redirected through Chak Baili Road, Chakri Interchange and Motorway.
In the weeks leading up to the summit, Pakistan’s authorities have cracked down hard on dissent, banning an ethnic nationalist movement and introducing new laws that restrict protest in the capital. They have also arrested hundreds of supporters of Khan who attempted to march on Islamabad earlier this month. Islamabad has authorized the deployment of troops on the streets for the duration of the summit.
The SCO is sometimes touted as an alternative to the Western-dominated NATO military alliance. While the bloc has a mandate to discuss security, the Islamabad summit is due to focus on trade, humanitarian and cultural issues.


Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam

Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
Updated 13 October 2024
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Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam

Dropped: The rise and fall of Pakistan batting maestro Babar Azam
  • Pakistan on Sunday left out Azam from the second England Test squad after he failed to pass 50 in his last 18 Test innings
  • It is the first time Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan team since his white-ball debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015

MULTAN: Babar Azam was on top of the world two years ago — Pakistan captain and top-rated batsman in all three formats — but he will celebrate his 30th birthday at home on Tuesday when the second Test against England begins in Multan.
Pakistan on Sunday left out Azam from the second Test squad after a poor run of form where he has failed to pass fifty in his last 18 Test innings.
It is the first time Azam has been dropped from the Pakistan team since his white-ball debut against Zimbabwe in Lahore in 2015 and Test baptism against the West Indies a year later.
Azam shot to prominence with three successive hundreds in an ODI series against the West Indies in 2016.
He replaced India great Virat Kohli as world number one ODI batsman five years later, a place he still occupies having been briefly deposed in between.
He is still ranked fourth among Twenty20 batsmen but it is the long format where his form has suffered the most and his slump has seen him fall outside the world’s top 10.
A 13-year-old Azam was a ball boy in Pakistan’s Test against South Africa in Lahore in 2007, where he could watch his childhood idol AB de Villiers.
From the streets of Lahore he rose to play in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, topping the batting charts for Pakistan with 298 runs in six games.
Two years in at the U19 World Cup in Australia he was captain and again leading run-scorer, with 287.
In 2015 he was picked for the senior side and after thrilling in the white-ball game developed into a modern-day great in all three formats, often drawing comparison with Kohli.
His opening partnership with Mohammad Rizwan in Twenty20s has realized 3,268 runs in 70 innings — the most by a pair in the format.
He anchored Pakistan’s only T20 World Cup win over arch-rivals India in 2021 in Dubai.
He hit an epic 196 against the famed Australian pace attack of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to draw a Test in Karachi in 2022 — hailed as one of the greatest innings in Pakistan.
But the pressure of captaining a struggling Pakistan took its toll and began to affect Azam’s form with the bat.
Following Pakistan’s first round exit from the 50-over World Cup in India last November, where his side lost to Afghanistan for the first time, Azam stepped down from the captaincy in all three formats.
When the Pakistan Cricket Board hierarchy changed in April this year he was reinstated as white-ball skipper.
But it proved to be a short-lived tenure as Pakistan lost a T20 to Ireland before crashing out of the T20 World Cup in June after being stunned by the USA and losing to India.
He resigned as white ball captain for a second time earlier this month.
But it was in Tests where his form deserted him the most and a poor run in the series defeat against Bangladesh last month saw him score just 64 in four innings.
His 30 and five on a faultless Multan batting wicket in the first Test defeat against England, coupled with the formation of a new selection panel straight after, saw him left out for the second Test despite a vote of confidence from captain Shan Masood and his coach Jason Gillespie
He was seen in an emotional discussion with Gillespie on Sunday at Multan stadium before leaving the squad for the journey home to Lahore.
The break from cricket will give a tired Azam time to rest, reflect and recuperate, after two years of mental, emotional and physical toil on the front line of a struggling side.
“We are confident that this break from international cricket will help these players, especially Azam, regain their confidence,” said selector Aaqib Javed.


England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return

England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
Updated 13 October 2024
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England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return

England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
  • The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs
  • England spokesman says Stokes practiced with the team on Sunday and if declared fit, he will likely replace Chris Woakes

MULTAN: England captain Ben Stokes looks on course to return for the second Test against Pakistan, starting in Multan on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs on Friday.
An England team spokesman said Stokes practiced with the team on Sunday. If Stokes is declared fit, he is likely to replace Chris Woakes.
“Ben bowled about four overs at full pace today. He has done some high intensity running and had about a 45-minute batting session in the nets,” said the spokesman.
“He will be assessed after today and a decision will be made on his availability over the course of the next 24 hours.”
England normally name their team two days before the start of a Test, but will wait until a final verdict on Stokes’s fitness on Monday before announcing their side.
Stokes tore his left hamstring while batting during the Hundred domestic competition in August which forced him to sit out of England’s 2-1 home series win over Sri Lanka last month, also led by Pope.
The third and final Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24.


Former captain Babar Azam dropped from Pakistan squad for second England Test

Former captain Babar Azam dropped from Pakistan squad for second England Test
Updated 13 October 2024
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Former captain Babar Azam dropped from Pakistan squad for second England Test

Former captain Babar Azam dropped from Pakistan squad for second England Test
  • Babar has not scored a fifty in his last 18 Test innings and managed just 30 and five in the first Test which England won
  • The PCB said it had rested Babar, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi so that they could come back afresh

ISLAMABAD: Former captain Babar Azam among four top players has been dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the second Test match against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday.
The development comes amid a shake-up in the Pakistan Test team after their innings and 47-run defeat in the first Test against England.
The PCB said it had rested Babar, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi so that they could come back afresh.
“Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. They had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule,” the board said in a statement.
“Babar Azam is the best batsman of his generation and the PCB wants a mentally refreshed Babar to represent the Pakistan side in future.”
Babar has not scored a fifty in his last 18 Test innings and managed just 30 and five in the first Test which England won on Friday after piling up 823-7 declared.
The statement came after Pakistan announced a 16-player squad with three uncapped players named for the second Test which begins in Multan on Tuesday.
Spinner Abrar Ahmed has been left out after being taken ill. Abrar was hospitalized after a high fever which forced him to miss the fourth and fifth day of the first Test.
The uncapped Kamran Ghulam, 29, should get the nod to replace Azam at number four in the batting line-up. Two other potential debutants were called up in the shape of wicketkeeper-batsman Haseebullah and left-arm spinner Mehran Mumtaz.
Fast bowler Mohammad Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan were also included.
Since making his Test debut against the West Indies in Dubai in 2016, Babar has missed only five Tests, two in his first series, one against England at Leeds in 2018 and two in New Zealand in 2020.
The axe fell on Azam, Shaheen and Naseem two days after the PCB reconstituted their selection panel bringing in former pace bowler Aaqib Javed and Azhar Ali along with the incumbent Asad Shafiq.
In a rare move the PCB also included former elite panel umpire Aleem Dar.
After Pakistan’s defeat, skipper Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie backed Babar, saying he just needed time to regain his form.
Babar was once the International Cricket Council’s top-ranked batsman in all three formats, and is still number one in the one-day international rankings.
Since the start of 2023 his form has nosedived. He averages under 21 in his last nine Tests, scoring just 126 in six innings in Australia and 64 in the two home Tests against Bangladesh last month.
Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah, Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Agha, Zahid Mehmood.
With additional input from AFP.