Monday, 14 November, 2022 I 18 Rabi us Sani, 1444 I Rs 40.00 | Vol XIII No 135 I 44 Pages I Islamabad Edition
LACKING A BIT MORE LUCK
Despite putting up commenDable fight, pakistan lose t20 final to englanD MELBOURNE
e
agencies
NGLAND beat Pakistan by five wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday to win their second Twenty20 World Cup title and burnish their claim as the pre-eminent superpower in white ball cricket. 30 years after losing the 50-over World Cup final to Pakistan at the MCG, England turned the tables on the men in green with brilliant death bowling and a Ben Stokes half-century that reeled in a modest victory target of 138. With all-rounder Sam Curran recording a miserly 3-12, Pakistan collapsed in the final overs to finish on 137 for eight after being sent in to bat by England captain Jos Buttler. The heavy rain forecast never hit the MCG as England, led by the unflappable Stokes, reeled in the total with six balls to spare. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid did the early damage for England with two wickets, including the key scalp of captain Babar Azam for 32, before Pakistan crumbled in the final overs, losing 4-10. England, who were again without in-
jured batsman Dawid Malan and pace bowler Mark Wood, won the toss and sent Pakistan into bat. Ben Stokes was given the new ball and Pakistan were lucky to survive the
over intact, with a nervy Mohammad Rizwan almost run out going for a risky single. If Chris Jordan’s throw had been a direct hit he would have been gone.
Rizwan and Azam shared a century partnership in the semi-final against New Zealand and soon settled, with Rizwan clearing the ropes off Chris Woakes for the first six of the night in the fourth over.
But another big stand wasn’t to be, with Rizwan dragging a delivery from Curran on to his stumps on 15. Pakistan, who powered past New Zealand by seven wickets to make the final, managed just 39-1 off the six-over powerplay, where only two fielders are allowed outside the 30-yard circle. The introduction of Rashid soon after reaped an immediate reward with Haris (8) attacking him on his first ball only to sky a simple catch to Stokes. Azam led Pakistan to 68-2 at the halfway point of the innings and then Masood began swinging the bat, hitting a four and six off Liam Livingstone. But once again Rashid got the breakthrough, pulling off a diving catch from his own bowling to claim the vital wicket of Azam, whose 32 came off 28 balls. Iftikhar Ahmed only lasted six balls before Masood and Shadab Khan (20) fell in the space of two runs as Curran and Chris Jordan kept the lid on any hope Pakistan had of a late flurry. Sealing their second T20 World Cup, England are now the first nation to hold both global white-ball trophies, having won the 50-over World Cup on home soil in 2019.
Six dead, dozens injured in explosion at Istanbul shopping street ISTANBUL, TURKEY agencies
An explosion tore through a busy Istanbul shopping street on Sunday, killing six and wounding dozens in what Turkey’s president said bore the signs of a terror attack. Police cordoned off an area around Istiklal Street, where crowds were dense on Sunday afternoon, and helicopters flew over the city centre as sirens sounded. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he called a “vile attack” that killed six people and wounded over 50 others. “It might be wrong if we say for sure that this is terror but according to first signs… there is a smell of terror there,” Erdogan told a press conference. “The relevant units of our state are working to find the perpetrators… behind this vile attack,” Erdogan told a televised press conference. He also said initial signs pointed to a “terror” attack in the explosion in Istanbul which wounded 53 others. “The attempt to take over Turkey and the Turkish nation through terrorism will not reach its goal today or tomorrow,” he added.
“I was 50-55 metres (yards) away, suddenly there was the noise of an explosion. I saw three or four people on the ground,” witness Cemal Denizci, 57, told AFP. “People were running in panic. The noise was huge. There was black smoke,” he said. The explosion occurred at around 4:20 pm (1320 GMT) in the famous Istiklal shopping street which is popular with locals and tourists. – Area targeted previously – Authorities offered few details and no groups immediately claimed the blast, but Turkish cities in the past have been struck by Islamists and other groups. Istiklal Avenue had already been hit in the past during a campaign of attacks in 2015-2016 that targeted Istanbul and other cities including the capital Ankara. Those bombings were mostly blamed on the Islamic State group and outlawed Kurdish militants, and killed nearly 500 people and injured more than 2,000. Sunday’s explosion occurred shortly after 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) in the famous Istiklal shopping street which is popular with locals and tourists. According to images posted on social media
at the time of the explosion, it was accompanied by flames and immediately triggered panic, with people running in all directions. A large black crater was also visible in those images, as well as several bodies lying on the ground nearby. According to an AFP video journalist on the scene, police established a large security cordon to prevent access to the damaged area for fear of a second explosion. Istiklal in the historic district of Beyoglu, is one of the most famous arteries of Istanbul, entirely pedestrian on 1.4 kilometres (nearly a mile). Criss-crossed by an old tramway, lined with shops and restaurants, it is used by large crowds during the weekend. In the neighboring district of Galata, many stores closed early while some passers-by, who came running from the site of the explosion, had tears in their eyes. A massive deployment of security forces equally barred all entrances, while a heavy deployment of rescue workers and police were visible. A reaction came quickly from Greece, which “unequivocally” condemned the blast and expressed condolences to the government and
Protest against rising terror rocks Wana WANA, SOUTH WAZIRISTAN staff report
Hundreds of people Wana took to streets on Sunday and voiced their concerns against against the recent wave of terrorism in the region. They chanted slogans in favour of peace and urged the administration and police to take effective measures for protection of life and honour of the people. As per details, hundreds of people staged a sit-in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan tribal district to express their anger over the deteriorating law and order situation and recent wave of terrorism in the region, demanding civil administration
fulfil its responsibilities to restore peace in the area. Call for the protest under the name “Peace march” was given by Wana Siyasi Ittihad (WSI) and hundreds of residents participated in it to vent their concern against fast deteriorating law and order situation in the region. Holding black flags, the protest participants marched from Wana Bazaar and converged near the Javid Sultan camps. A large number of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamaat-i-Islami and other political parties workers and leaders also attended the protest. On the occasion, the protesters chanted slogans in favour of peace and demanded a ban on armed
groups in the district. They demanded that the government should immediately tackle the rise in terror and kidnappings for ransom incidents, besides immediately order release of parliamentarian Ali Wazir — who has been incarcerated for the past two years. They also demanded adequate security for the public, contractors and traders in the region. Saeed Wazir, a member of the WSI, told the media that a contractor namely Tariq Wazir was abducted from the Wana market a week ago by “unidentified persons”. “Tariq Wazir should be recovered immediately,” he demanded. Saeed urged the civil administration to fulfil its re-
sponsibilities to maintain peace and order in the area. “The police system should be strengthened and its power and privileges should be increased.” He also told Dawn.com that no government representatives had yet made efforts to negotiate with the protestors, warning that if the authorities failed to fulfil their demands, another protest will be staged on November 20. Last month, thousands of people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa took to the streets to show their resolve against terror after a school van in Charbagh came under gunfire, leaving the driver dead and two children injured.
people of Turkey. According to images posted on social media at the time of the explosion, it was accompanied by flames and immediately triggered panic, with people running in all directions. A large black crater was also visible in those images, as well as several bodies lying on the ground nearby. Istiklal Street had already been hit in the past during a campaign of attacks in 2015-2016 that targeted Istanbul. Claimed by the Islamic State group, those attacks killed nearly 500 people and injured more than 2,000. President, PM express condolences over loss of lives in Istanbul blast President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed their condolences to Turkiye over the loss of precious lives in Istanbul blast. On his Twitter handle, the prime minister expressed his deep anguish over the explosion at Istiklal Avenue, Istanbul and conveyed condolences to the brotherly people of Turkiye on part of the government of Pakistan and its people.
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