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Champions Trophy: Rizwan says pressure got to Pakistan’s batsmen in loss to India

Pakistan will be knocked out if New Zealand beat Bangladesh in Rawalpindi later on Monday.

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Captain Mohammad Rizwan said Pakistan’s middle order succumbed to the pressure in a Champions Trophy defeat by fierce rivals India on Sunday that left the tournament hosts’ chances of progressing to the knockout stage hanging by a thread.

The defending champions were restricted to 241 all out in 49.4 overs and India comfortably chased down the total with six wickets and 45 balls remaining thanks to Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Rizwan, who scored 46 in a 104-run stand with Saud Shakeel (62), said his team had paid a heavy price for failing to build on the momentum.

“The middle order wasn’t good enough,” Rizwan told reporters.

“The players performed well before this. In our meeting we had discussed that on this pitch around 270-280 would be enough (but) because the outfield was slow, the pitch was slow, the ball wasn’t going into the gaps.

“Saud and I tried to build a partnership and took a lot of time, but after that the shot selection was poor. That’s where they got a chance to take our wickets. Our middle order maybe couldn’t take the pressure.”

Pakistan will be knocked out if New Zealand beat Bangladesh in Rawalpindi later on Monday.

“For now, we can say that it’s over. This is the truth. We’ll see what Bangladesh do with New Zealand, what New Zealand do with India, and what we do,” Rizwan said.

“As a captain, I don’t like this (depending on other teams). If you’re good enough, you show it by winning and keeping things in your hands.

“What matters is that India and New Zealand beat us. They played strong and we didn’t play well. If we get a chance (to sneak through) then so be it.”

Today’s match, Monday 24 February, will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television. Fans can tune in from 12:30pm for the pre match show, which will be followed by the match at 1:30pm. (Reuters)

 

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Four members of one family killed in Helmand in Pakistan airstrike

The family, originally from Ghazni province, reportedly operated a small restaurant in the area.

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Four members of a family were killed and seven others wounded in an airstrike in Safar area of Garmser district in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province, according to local reports.

The family, originally from Ghazni province, reportedly operated a small restaurant in the area.

The bodies of those killed and the wounded were transported by helicopter to Ghazni province for burial and medical treatment, according to the reports.

 

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UNAMA acting chief visits Islam Qala border to assess support for returnees

UN launched a $529 million response plan aimed at assisting around 2.7 million Afghans expected to return from Iran and Pakistan between April and December 2026.

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Georgette Gagnon, UNAMA’s acting head, visited western Afghanistan, including the Islam Qala border crossing, to see firsthand UN efforts to support millions of Afghans returning from neighboring Iran and Pakistan.

Earlier this year, the UN launched a $529 million response plan aimed at assisting around 2.7 million Afghans expected to return from Iran and Pakistan between April and December 2026.

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Trump: Unlike Afghanistan, US took all equipment from Iraq

Trump said the withdrawal from Iraq marked the end of what he described as a costly military involvement, adding that he had set a clear mission and instructed commanders to complete it without allowing the US presence to become permanent.

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US President Donald Trump on Wednesday compared the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq with the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying military equipment had been left behind in Afghanistan, while US forces leaving Iraq took their equipment with them.

Speaking at a White House event, Trump referred to the final departure of US-led coalition forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base in northern Iraq, which marked the end of the US military mission against Daesh in Iraq.

“I said, take a little longer. Take everyone. We left all of the equipment, if you remember, in Afghanistan. Everything was left behind,” Trump said.

“I said, ‘I want every screw taken. If there’s a screw lying on the ground, take it. If we have a canvas tent, take it.’ We took everything,” he added.

He also mentioned the August 2021 attack at Kabul airport that killed 13 US soldiers.

Trump said he had become acquainted with the families of the US service members killed in the attack and also highlighted those who were seriously wounded.

“What happened to those—to their children should never have been allowed to happen,” he said, adding that 48 wounded service members were severely injured and “never get mentioned.”

Trump said the withdrawal from Iraq marked the end of what he described as a costly military involvement, adding that he had set a clear mission and instructed commanders to complete it without allowing the US presence to become permanent.

The US military announced on Wednesday that its forces and equipment had completed an orderly departure from Erbil Air Base, formally ending Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. The US-led mission began in 2014 to fight Daesh after the group seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. The US is continuing its counter-Daesh mission in Syria from a headquarters in Jordan.

Trump said the US had entered Iraq to fight the Islamic State and that the group no longer controlled a territorial “caliphate.”

“We came to fight a caliphate, and there is no longer a caliphate, so we are going home indeed,” he said.

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