KARACHI: Representatives of the Pakistan Railways held a meeting to discuss streamlining their operations by involving the private sector and to marke

More: continued here
Pakistan News

COLOMBO: Umar Akmal smashed an unbeaten 102 off 72 balls as Pakistan won the fourth one-dayer by 146 runs on Friday to record their first win on a dismal tour of Sri Lanka.

Umar’’s maiden international century and a dogged 89 from skipper Younus Khan lifted Pakistan to 321-5 after the tourists elected to bat in the day-night match at the Premadasa stadium.

Seamer Rao Iftikhar then grabbed 5-30 as Sri Lanka were shot out for 175 in 36.1 overs, handing Pakistan a badly-needed win after they were beaten 2-0 in the Test series and lost the first three one-dayers.

The fifth and final match will be played at the same venue on Sunday.

Umar, 19, younger brother of the team’’s wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, pounded four sixes and five boundaries in only his third international and was declared the man of the match.

Younus stayed rock-solid at the other end as Umar punished the wayward Sri Lankan attack during a fifth-wicket partnership of 176 runs after Pakistan slipped to 130-4.

Sri Lanka appeared to make light of the daunting target when they moved to 101-1 in the 16th over, before losing their last nine wickets for 74 runs.

Left-handed opener Upul Tharanga top-scored with 80 off 89 balls and skipper Kumar Sangakkara made 39, but none of the other top order batsmen delivered.

Spinners Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal supported Iftikhar with two wickets each.

“It’’s a relief to win finally,” said Younus at the presentation ceremony. “We are normally slow starters, but we have been too slow on this tour.

“Hats off to Umar and Iftikhar. They really made us proud today.”

Sangakkara said a target of 321 could not be chased without big partnerships, which Sri Lanka did not have.

“I don”t think complacency was the problem,” he said. “The problem was we gave them 320. We have got to make sure we bowl a lot better to our fields.

“Umar finished things off very well for Pakistan. But we need to keep our chins up and come back strongly in the next match.”

Earlier, Pakistan made a sound start as Imran Nazir, playing for the first time in the series, hit 23 in a first-wicket stand of 61 with Kamran Akmal by the 10th over.

Kamran then put on 45 for the second wicket with Younus to lift Pakistan to 106-1, before another middle-order collapse saw three wickets fall for 24 runs.

Leg-spinner Malinga Bandara, himself making his first appearance in the series, bowled Kamran and trapped Misbah-ul-Haq leg-before to finish with two for 44 in 10 overs.

Lasith Malinga went for 79 runs in his 10 wicketless overs, while fellow paceman Thilan Thushara took two wickets for 74 runs.

Sri Lanka rested three frontline bowlers, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan Kulasekara and Dilhara Fernando, and replaced them with Ajantha Mendis, Bandara and Malinga.

Pakistan were forced to leave out the injured duo of Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq and also dropped Nasir Jamshed and Fawad Alam.

They were replaced by Nazir, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah and Iftikhar.

More: continued here

DERA MURAD JAMALI: Demonstrations were held in Nasirabad and Jafarabad districts against the killing of Balochistan Minister for Excise and Taxation b

More: continued here

Pakistan said Friday it believed that wanted Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone attack, which if confirmed would score a coup in the US-led fight against Islamist militants.

More: continued here
Pakistan News

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer has said the extremist elements responsible for the Gojra tragedy will be dealt with an iron hand and they will

More: continued here

Pakistan is “pretty certain” Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who has a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head, was killed with his wife and guards in a missile attack two days ago, the foreign minister said on Friday.

More: continued here

LAHORE: The construction industry needs support of the government to grab foreign contracts and a level-playing field to win big housing projects in t

More: continued here

NEW DELHI: India’’s pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has been forced out of next month’’s Champions Trophy in South Africa after undergoing shoulder surgery, officials said on Friday.
Zaheer, 30, underwent surgery in Johannesburg in July after injuring his left shoulder while playing for Mumbai Indians during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament in April-May.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement that the left-arm paceman could be out of action till the end of the year.
Zaheer will miss the limited overs tri-series against New Zealand and hosts Sri Lanka from September 8-14 which precedes the Champions Trophy in South Africa from Sept 22-October 5.
He will also sit out the seven one-day internationals against Australia at home in October-November and remains a doubtful starter for the Test and one-day series against Sri Lanka at home in November-December.

More: continued here

A look at three possible successors to Pakistan Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who is believed to have died in a U.S. missile strike Wednesday.

More: continued here

KARACHI: Another caravan of displaced persons comprising 1500 families left for Swat on 30 buses from Karachi on Friday.

Provincial Labour Minister Amir Nawab saw off the returning IDPs were seen off from Kulsoom Bai Valika Social Security Hospital, SITE.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that Sindh province has rich traditions of hospitality and humane considerations and they are thankful to people of Sindh for the way they supported the government in helping the Swat affectees.

Amir Nawab said that effective measures are being continuously taken for rehabilitation of IDPs.

He pointed out that in the first phase 1500 members of 250 families from Swat were sent back home and now second caravan are being sent back in 30 buses.

He informed that Sindh Government has provided Rs 750,000 as travelling expenses which comes to Rs 500 per person.

More: continued here