Updates Regarding Business!
41 more deaths due to Coronavirus infection and 1,400 positive cases have been reported in the country in a single day.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre’s statistics, 44,116 tests were conducted on Monday and positivity ratio remained 3.17 percent.
Source: Radio Pakistan
Terrorists targeted a Frontier Corps border post from Iranian territory with Small Arms fire in general area Chukab, Balochistan.
According to ISPR, due to fire, Sepoy Maqbool Shah of Frontier Corps embraced shahadat while another soldier was injured.
Iranian authorities concerned have been informed about the incident.
Source: Radio Pakistan
Winner of the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) Jaffna Stallions has a new owner as Sri Lanka-born British entrepreneur, Allirajah Subaskaran, enters the second season of the premier T20 tournament of the Island Nation by acquiring the Jaffna-based franchise in the tournament.
Speaking about the new venture, Mr. Subaskaran said, “I have been observing the gradual growth of the LPL. It has turned out to be a spectacular sporting event, and I believe that the LPL can become a major event in the cricketing calendar. Many Sri Lankans globally look forward to this tournament, with better funding and drafting of bigger names, the league is bound to be a global phenomenon, and I don’t want to be left out of the party.”
Mr. Allirajah Subaskaran is the founder and chairman of Lyca Group of companies in the UK, and the group has been diversifying its businesses in the South Asian region with a strong presence in India and Sri Lanka, making its venture into the LPL, a well-calculated move.
When asked why he chose the Jaffna team, Mr. Allirajah Subaskaran said: “Well, it makes sense to put your money on the team that won last year, and, I do have some sentimental attachments to the North of the Island.”
Welcoming the new owner, Mr. Anil Mohan, Founder, and CEO of Dubai-based production giant IPG, the official promoter of LPL, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to welcome on board Lyca Group Chairman Mr. Allirajah Subaskaran as the owner of the Jaffna franchise. I am sure that his love and passion for the game will enable him to connect with the team and engage the fans and all its stakeholders going forward.”
Mr. Jawad Ghulam Rasool, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai-based production giant IPG, the official promoter of LPL, said, “We at the IPG group recognize that it takes many individuals whether in management, players or franchise owners to put together a league that we can be proud of, a league like LPL. We would like to welcome Jaffna franchise owner Mr. Allirajah Subaskaran, chairman of the LYCA Group to the LPL community and look forward to growing stronger together.”
With the LPL Player’s Draft scheduled for next month, the new owner of the Jaffna franchise expects to rope in some big international and local stars. He said, that like last year, he’s confident of having a very competitive team this year too.
The inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) which was played in a bio-secure bubble at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota from November 26 till December 16, 2020, reached a cumulative audience of 557 million people through TV, digital-social space, and traditional media outlets.
Sponsors enjoyed a media evaluation (visibility) of $54.5m and title sponsor MY11CIRCLE enjoyed an ROI of 9.85x. Winner of the first edition of LPL Jaffna Stallions tops the valuation chart with $3.98m followed by Galle Gladiators ($3.82m), Dambulla Vikings (Now Dambulla Giants) ($3.54m) Colombo Kings ($3.44m), and Kandy Tuskers ($3.19m).
The LPL matches which were telecast live by Sky Sports, Sony Sports Network, Geo, PTV, and Willow TV in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UK, US, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand saw 155 million people tuning in to catch live action. On social media, it achieved a reach of 218 million and LPL found 133478 mentions as the league came alive with each and every match with some scintillating performances on the ground.
Source: Pro Pakistani
Pakistan’s hopes in the upcoming T20 World Cup are pinned on two of their most prolific batsmen, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Both the batsmen have been in a rich vein of form in the calendar year and have put in impressive performances for the national team and their domestic T20 teams.
Rizwan has been particularly impressive as he has completely transformed his game in the shortest format and has piled on the runs throughout 2021. He is currently the leading run-scorer in T20 internationals and T20s and has broken multiple world records along the way. He has already scored the highest number of runs in T20Is in a calendar year, surpassing Irish batsman, Paul Stirling’s record of 748 runs in 2019.
The 29-year old has broken various T20 batting records in 2021. He started the year with exceptional performances against South Africa in a three-match T20I series where he scored 197 runs, the most by a Pakistani batsman in a three-match T20I series. He also scored his first T20I century in the series. His innings of 104* included seven sixes which is also the most by a Pakistani batsman in a single T20I innings.
Babar, on the other hand, is right behind Rizwan in the list of top scorers in T20Is in 2021. He has continued his consistent performances in T20 cricket and looks determined to reclaim his top spot in the ICC T20I batsmen rankings. He is currently ranked number two in the world in T20Is, just a few points behind England’s Dawid Malan.
The 26-year old has also broken various batting records in 2021. Earlier in the year, he became the fastest batsman in the world to score 2,000 runs in T20Is. He achieved the feat in 52 innings as he surpassed the record of the Indian captain, Virat Kohli, who had scored 2,000 runs in 56 innings. Babar also became the second-fastest batsman in the world to score 6,000 T20 runs and just requires 121 runs in his next 7 innings to become the fastest to reach 7,000 runs.
The two batsmen have been brilliant throughout the year and have also put on some brilliant partnerships together for Pakistan. They both have played together on 13 occasions in 2021 and have scored 736 runs at an average of 56.61 and a run rate of 8.77. They have put together a century stand on three occasions and a half-century stand on two occasions in the calendar year. Their highest partnership of 197 in the third T20I against South Africa is Pakistan’s highest-ever partnership in T20Is. Both the batsmen also share Pakistan’s second-highest partnership, a 150-run stand in 1st T20I against England.
While both the batsmen have been prolific in 2021, let’s compare the two batsmen to determine the better batsman in T20 cricket this year.
T20Is
Rizwan has played a total of 17 T20I matches in 2021 and has scored 752 runs at an average of 94.00 and a strike rate of 140.03 including seven half-centuries and one century. Meanwhile, Babar has scored 523 runs including four half-centuries and one century at an average of 37.35 and a strike rate of 132.74 in 17 matches.
Out of the 17 matches both the batsmen have played for the Men in Green in 2021, Pakistan has won 9 with the duo proving to be crucial in most of the matches. Rizwan has scored 575 runs, including five fifties and one hundred, at an astonishing average of 143.75 and a strike rate of 147.05 in the nine matches that Pakistan has won. Babar has also been crucial to Pakistan’s success as he has scored 394 runs, including three fifties and one hundred at an average of 43.77 and a strike rate of 148.12.
Here is the stats breakdown of the 9 matches:
T20s
Both the batsmen have had a stellar year in T20 cricket but have not shared the same success in domestic T20 competitions. While Rizwan led Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise, Multan Sultans to their first-ever title in PSL 6, Babar was unable to inspire Karachi Kings to retain their title. Despite this, the batting numbers for both the batsmen are outstanding.
Babar finished as the leading run-scorer in the sixth edition of PSL as he scored 554 runs, including seven half-centuries at an average of 69.25 and a strike rate of 132.53 in 11 innings while Rizwan was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 500 runs, including four half-centuries, at an average of 45.45 and a strike rate of 127.87 in 12 innings.
Rizwan has scored 1,387 runs at an average of 63.40 and a strike rate of 135.44 in 29 T20 innings while Babar has scored 1,187 runs at an average of 47.48 and a strike rate of 133.52 in 28 innings in the calendar year.
Rizwan has won 18 out of 32 T20 matches in 2021, playing a pivotal role in the majority of the wins. He has scored 957 runs at an average of 79.75 and a strike rate of 140.32 in the 18 victories.
Babar, on the other hand, has won 16 matches in T20 cricket this year and has played a huge part in his team’s success. He has scored 743 runs at an average of 53.07 and a strike rate of 143.71 in 16 innings in the calendar year.
Who do you think has been the better batsman in T20s this year? Write down your suggestions in the comments section below!
Source: Pro Pakistani
Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most upper and central parts of the country during next 12 hours.
However, rain-wind, thundershower is likely at isolated places in Sindh, south Punjab, lower Balochistan, Kashmir and its adjoining areas.
Temperature of some major cities recorded this morning:
Islamabad 24 degree centigrade, Lahore 28, Karachi 29, Peshawar 26, Quetta 21, Murree 16, Gilgit 13 and Muzaffarabad 20 degree centigrade.
According to Met Office forecast for Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, partly cloudy weather with chances of rain and wind-thunderstorm is expected in Jammu and Anantnag, while partly cloudy/dry weather is expected in Srinagar, Leh, Pulwama, Shopian and Baramula.
Temperature recorded this morning: Srinagar, Pulwama and Anantnag 17 degree centigrade, Jammu 24, Leh 10, Shopian and Baramula 16 degree centigrade.
Source: Radio Pakistan
New IFC Survey Highlights Business Case for Gender Equality in the Workforce in Pakistan.
Many private companies in Pakistan are still struggling to reach gender diversity targets, while fewer than one in 20 women make it to senior management roles, according to a new survey by the International Finance Corporation and the Pakistan Business Council that highlights the challenges and opportunities around women’s employment in the private sector.
More than half of the 86 companies across a range of sectors that responded to the Gender Diversity and Disclosure in Pakistan survey had less than 15 percent of women working for them, despite clear goals to reach the 15 percent target. Sixty-three percent had less than five percent of women in senior leadership roles, while 60 percent had either none or only one female member on their boards of directors.
Lack of awareness and transparency around gender diversity is also a problem. Nearly 70 percent of the companies surveyed were not collecting data on the gender pay gap, and the majority of the companies had never publicly disclosed their gender-specific targets.
The CEO of the Pakistan Business Council, Ehsan Malik, said, “The study shows that Pakistan’s private sector still has a way to go to reduce the gender gap in its workforce, and this includes improving awareness of the business case for employing more women. Investing in women isn’t just a moral imperative; it also broadens the talent pool and helps companies increase productivity”.
To address the issue, the survey includes five International Finance Corporation (IFC) Gender Equity Principles that private sector companies can adopt. They focus on promoting leadership and accountability, improving gender diversity, reducing the gender pay gap, creating an optimal workplace culture, and coaching and mentoring female employees.
Shabana Khawar, the IFC Regional Head of Operations for Afghanistan and Pakistan, remarked, “As the survey shows, Pakistan’s private sector can play a vital role in increasing gender diversity, from collecting data and encouraging transparency, to adopting gender-specific policies and offering flexible work options”.
“We hope these findings will help create more inclusive and flexible workplaces that empower women to participate,” she added.
While the participation of the female labor force in Pakistan has increased in recent years, it remains one of the lowest globally at around 22 percent and just 10 percent in cities. Entrenched social norms, mobility issues, a large and persistent gender wage gap, and structural barriers such as discrimination or the lack of awareness of employment laws have all contributed to this low rate.
The IFC had partnered with the Pakistan Business Council in 2019 to lead a peer-learning collaboration called ‘Tackling Childcare Pakistan: Creating Family-Friendly Workplaces’, with 13 Pakistani companies and Pakistan-based multinationals to promote better work-life integration and implement policies such as paid paternity leave, breastfeeding support, and childcare facilities.
Source: Pro Pakistani