Hesson: Pakistan ready to pressure India at Asian Games
Head coach says any meeting with India could come only in the October 3 final or bronze-medal match.
Pakistan men’s cricket head coach Mike Hesson said on Wednesday that his side was preparing for a possible meeting with India at the Asian Games, and that any such clash could come only in the gold-medal match or the bronze-medal play-off on October 3.
According to Dawn, Hesson told reporters that India and Pakistan are on opposite sides of the men’s draw and cannot meet in the semi-finals. Both teams would have to clear the earlier rounds for a medal-round encounter to take place.
Hesson described India as “the benchmark in white-ball cricket at the moment” and said Pakistan’s challenge was to be ready for that level of competition. The Times of India reported that the coach also referenced Pakistan’s Asia Cup performance against India, saying his side would try to put India “under pressure” in the same way if the two teams met.
The Indian Express also reported that Pakistan would put pressure on India if the two rivals met at the Asian Games.
India and Pakistan rarely meet outside International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Council events, and a medal match at the Asian Games would carry both sporting and diplomatic attention. Hesson said there was “plenty of cricket to be played” before any India meeting, and that his team was preparing “as best we can” for the schedule.
No further details of Pakistan’s squad or match timings were immediately available.
Information ministry blames Kabul inaction for strained Pakistan-Afghanistan ties
The ministry rejected a Taliban spokesperson's account of the dispute, saying cross-border militancy remains the biggest obstacle to normal relations between the neighbours.
Tarar proposes national council on cyber security and digital literacy
The information minister used the PTA's Cyber Security Awareness Week to float a coordinating body and to call for digital literacy in school curricula.
Health minister says barcode scan will flag fake medicines from November
Mustafa Kamal told the National Assembly that hospitals will also have to buy all vaccines from Pakistan's own funds by 2030, at a cost of about $1.2 billion.
Fakhar Zaman hits century and passes 4,000 ODI runs
The Pakistan batter reached 4,000 one-day international runs in his 97th ODI and became the 16th from his country to pass the mark.