England’s women cricket team will make its first tour to Pakistan this year in October, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced. As per details, two Twenty20 Internationals and three one-day internationals will be played between both sides.
The team will play Twenty20 matches on October 14 and 15 along with their men’s side while the one-day internationals will be played on October 18, 20 and 22.
All the five matches will be played at Karachi’s National Stadium.
England women to make first-ever tour of Pakistan in October
“World champions England accompanying their men’s side for their first-ever tour to Karachi is an extremely powerful and strong announcement for Pakistan, our women’s cricketers, as well as for the global sport,” said PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan, in a statement.
“The three ODIs against the world champions will assist the Pakistan women’s side to access, gauge and fine-tune their ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 preparations as they aim to produce improved performances than in the past,” he added.
Talking about the tourECB Managing Director of Women’s Cricket Clare Connor said: “We are absolutely delighted to be making this historic announcement today.”
“The England Women’s cricket team has never toured Pakistan before so this is another important step in our history and journey,” she said further.
England’s men cricket teamwill also visit Pakistan after 15 years for a short tour. Unlike the women’s cricket team they will only play two Twenty20 matches.
“If you have a complaint about not being loved or appreciated in this marriage, I suggest you take it up with the people who arranged it”.
The line that says it all. In the fourth season of Netflix‘sThe Crown, there is zero doubt that you will be reminded of someone you know or have heard of, who is currently suffering in an arranged marriage. Which is why when Prince Charles (Josh O’ Connor), the future king of England complains about his arranged marriage to his incredibly sad wife Princess Diana (Emma Corrin), it really hits home.
The Crown shows the engagement interview given by Diana and Charles which was truly cringeworthy (because of Charles)
The Crown, a series on the popular streaming site Netflix, is based on the lives of the ruling royal family in England. It follows the life of Elizabeth II, who is the current ruling Queen of England, her journey as Queen and also gives insight into the private lives of the royals. Although it is based on true events, the producers have said that artistic license has been taken while filming the series.
The most-awaited royal story was the one of Prince Charles and the iconic Princess Diana and the depiction of the two in season four does not disappoint. You will literally watch this season with your phone in hand, googling to see if the events that made you cringe are actually true – and be shocked and saddened that they indeed are.
Diana and Charles’ wedding was a fairy tale – one that even if you weren’t old enough to see it when it happened, there is zero doubt that you have seen images of how perfect it actually was. Their divorce shook the world and Diana’s death had everyone mourning. There was and most likely will never be a more iconic and charming royal than Diana. Pakistanis, in particular, are drawn to her even more after seeing pictures of how much she enjoyed visiting Pakistan with a handsome Imran Khan and his then-wife Jemima Goldsmith.
SPOILERS AHEAD
This was the first time I learned about how Diana had an eating disorder and was bulimic. After Googling, I discovered that she had spoken about it in an interview, about how after marrying Prince Charles, eating a lot of food and then throwing up somehow became therapeutic for the emptiness she felt in her life. The series shows how a very young Diana gets married at the age of 19 years in a whirlwind marriage to a prince who is in love with someone else. Prince Charles had been seeing a married woman – Camilla Parker-Bowleswho he is currently married to – and continued to see her after he was married. Charles wanted to marry Diana and thought she was sweet, but not before she was ‘approved’ by his ‘ex-girlfriend’ Camilla. According to Google, Camilla had approved Charles’ marriage to Diana, thinking she could control her in the future but hadn’t realise how popular Diana would become.
Camilla Parker Bowles invites an engaged Diana to lunch – while she was having an affair with Diana’s fiance
We are also introduced to a Diana who tries very hard to make Charles happy – and a Charles who tries somewhat but is unable to let go of his affair. What makes one hate Charles even more in the series is that it’s not that the dull and arrogant Charles doesn’t have the capacity to love – he loves Camilla so much he tells Diana after years of their marriage that if she hurts Camilla, she hurts him – but that he loves the wrong person. He can’t stand how popular and loved Diana is, how she shines, how people love her and how wherever she goes – excitement follows. He is not strong enough to let her shine – and in turn, his lack of compassion for her – ruins her life.
There was a time when they were happy. The real life dance of Charles and Diana shows a happy time
Discussions about the royal family being the first and ultimate joint family began soon after people finished the season – discussions about how arranged marriages can ruin lives and how people need to spend time together to find out if they really get one another. If Diana had not been so young and had grown into her personality and understood what she wanted out of life, maybe she would not have picked Charles or been besotted with the thought of marrying a prince. Maybe Charles, who gave into his family’s pressure of marrying a girl who had a similar background as him, would’ve held strong and said he wouldn’t marry if he couldn’t marry whom he wanted. But it seems painfully obvious that Charles was pressured into marrying Diana and Diana fell for the fairy tale love story that Charles represented.
It’s true. Princess Di did a dance with singer Billy Joel for Prince Charles’ birthday
What’s more painful is to see how Diana tries to make Charles happy. She knows from day one that Charles has not left Camilla – even goes out for lunch with Camilla (yes, that’s true!) – and tries her best to make her marriage work. In two very painful parts of the season, Diana plans a dance with the famous rockstar Billy Joel, for Charles’ birthday and after seeing the performance, Charles tells her how horrified he was to see her performance and how she made his birthday about her (she did do a performance for him on his birthday at the theater, that is also true) and then for their wedding anniversary she tries again and films her singing a song for him with a live orchestra (wasn’t very good and also true). He makes fun of her both times, showing that no matter what she tried, nothing was going to work.
We all have that one friend or family member stuck in a marriage that is not of their choosing. Having issues with in-laws is so common that it’s scary at times. Diana also has a difficult time with her in-laws and tries to reach out to her mother-in-law, the Queen who is very distant from her. Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, also resents Diana for being more popular than her and they too, don’t seem to get along. The only person who does seem to like her is her father-in-law Prince Philip but near the end, that also changes. So we see Diana fairly alone throughout the series, clinging onto her children to feel whole. Until it seems she can’t do it anymore.
Last scene showing a very unhappy Diana
The ending scene of the series finale is one of a family photo being taken for Christmas and Diana is standing at the edge of the photo, away from the others. The camera zooms into her, showing how alone she is and I didn’t have the heart to Google if the picture was real – because it so obviously must be. What is more devastating is that it feels like such a big loss. We know that Diana finally breaks free and most likely, finally finds happiness and then dies in a fatal car crash. She never really gets her fairy tale and as we see people around us going through the same, we feel the same pain. Maybe if they break free – if she had broken free earlier – they might be happier.
Despite being such a difficult season to watch, season four is the best season so far. Other than the stellar performances given by both Connor and Corrin, the role of Britain’s first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is played so brilliantly by Gillian Anderson that it is a true pleasure to watch. She literally captures the essence of one of England’s most controversial rulers and it is a delight to watch the minute she comes on screen. The minute you see Thatcher on screen, you can’t wait to see what she will do next. And you also cannot help but compare.
Gillian Anderson was absolutely perfect as Britain’s Iron Lady PM, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher, raised to be brilliant by her father, supported by her husband who is totally at ease with his wife’s success, pushes her to be the absolute best that she can be – the leader of a superpower for eleven years. The support she gets and her own brilliance make her shine in ways that have changed the course of history. And then we see a parallel with Diana – a woman absolutely phenomenal in her own right – but pushed down by the people around her, never realising her full potential.
Makes one think how different life can be if you can manage to convince yourself that you need some iron from the British PM famously called the Iron Lady and also realise that it is finally time to break free before it is too late, like the tragedy that was Diana.
According to details, England’s men’s team will make their first visit to Pakistan in 16 years for a two-match T20 International series next October. The two games, to be held in Karachi on October 14 and 15, will be part of the 2021 T20 World Cup build-up.
England will arrive in Karachi on October 12, and both the sides will depart for India on October 16 for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the end of the series.
Sharing his thoughts on the development, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “I am delighted to confirm that England will be touring Pakistan to play two T20Is in October 2021. This will be their first visit to Pakistan for 16 years and will open the door for both Test and white-ball tours in the 2022-23 season.”
He added, “The ECB’s confirmation further endorses Pakistan as safe and secure. Importantly, this announcement speaks volumes for the relationship that we have with the ECB and I would like to thank the ECB for their strong will and desire to make this short tour a reality.”
Meanwhile, Chief Executive of England Cricket Board Tom Harrison said that it is “a real pleasure” to announce the tour.
“This will be the first time since 2005 that an England team has toured Pakistan and, as such, it represents a significant moment for both nations,” said Harrison.
England last toured Pakistan in 2005 when they played three Tests and five One-Day Internationals. The subsequent series between the two sides in 2012 and 2015 were played in the United Arab Emirates.
PCB announces Super League fixtures against England
Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team will be touring England and Wales in July 2021. The tour will comprise three ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs and as many T20Is.
As per the press release, the ODIs will be played in Cardiff, London (Lord’s) and Birmingham on July 8, 10 and 13 respectively while the T20Is will be held in Nottingham, Leeds and Manchester on July 16, 18 and 20 respectively.
England leads the points table of the qualification league for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with 30 points from two three-ODI series. Pakistan shares the second spot with Australia on 20 points following a 2-1 series win over Zimbabwe, while Zimbabwe and Ireland are on 10 points each.
The remaining eight sides in the 13-team competition are yet to play their opening fixtures in the Super League from which the seven top-ranked sides and World Cup hosts India will progress directly for the event proper to take place in October/November 2023.
The ODI series against England will be one of Pakistan’s three away fixtures in 2021 with the other two being against South Africa (April 2021) and Afghanistan (September 2021). In addition to these away series, Pakistan will play two home Super League fixtures against New Zealand and the West Indies in October and December 2021, respectively.
Pakistan is presently sixth in ODIs behind England, India, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, while Babar Azam’s side is ranked fourth behind Australia, England and India in T20Is. Pakistan sits seventh in Tests.
Charles, Prince of Wales thanked President Arif Alvi for sending him Pakistani mangoes, defining them as “very tasty”.
Mango diplomacy, that was done this year, is the best way to expose heads of states & govts, princes & kings to Pakistan, creating a soft image describing Pakistan as a ‘strategic economic hub’ with exquisite culture, traditions, cuisine, fruits, and above all its people. https://t.co/3Qnle88BJ5
Expressing his gratitude for the gift, Prince Charles, in a letter, said that he and his wife Camilla were appreciative of the excellent gift.
As per a statement issued by the President’s Media Office, the president under the initiative of ‘mango diplomacy’ had sent Pakistani mangoes as a gift to the heads of states of several countries. The mango gifts had been sent to Kuwait, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Singapore, Spain, UK, Italy and other friendly countries.
According to details, the step was taken to introduce the fruit to new international markets in a bid to further increase the export of Pakistani fruits and vegetables and highlight investment opportunities in the horticulture sector.
Pakistan ranks sixth in terms of mango production and fifth in terms of mango exporting countries in the world,
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has played down reports that a company based in the Isle of Man may seize assets owned by the Pakistan team currently in the United Kingdom (UK), as part of an old legal dispute between the firm and the Pakistan government.
A report quoted a letter from Broadsheet LLC to the Pakistan government in which it said it would “seize the assets of the Pakistani cricket team” because of longstanding dues owed to it by the government.
The PCB has been in touch with the Pakistan Embassy in the UK and is believed to have been satisfied that there is little prospect of this actually happening. That belief lies in the legal opinion that the Pakistan team is representative of the PCB, an autonomous body, and not of the Pakistan state or government, and so is not a party to the case or liable for the damages.
In the letter, Broadsheet says that the Pakistan team is “by the very nature, an asset of the defendant and that monies due to the team and assets of the team are assets of the defendant to the litigation”.
The legal dispute dates back to the early 2000s, when Broadsheet was hired by General (r) Pervez Musharraf, who was the head of state of Pakistan then, to trace out hidden assets of Pakistan nationals in foreign countries. Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had signed an agreement with Broadsheet, which was eventually terminated in 2003. The termination had led to a legal dispute, one resolved in 2018, when an international arbitration court in London ruled in favour of Broadsheet, and established that the NAB was liable to pay damages. It is this payment that remains outstanding.
The letter quoted by the report was written by Broadsheet to Allen & Overy, the firm that represented the Pakistan government and the NAB in the case, and said that Broadsheet was owed “more than $33 million” after it won the arbitration.
ESPNCricinfo reached out to NAB for a comment, but the body has not confirmed or denied any threat to the cricket team’s equipment being seized.
The Pakistan team will play three Tests and three T20 International (T20I) matches against England, with the first Test scheduled to start on August 5 in Manchester. The final T20I will take place on September 1.
Tech giant Apple Inc. allegedly refused to help France in its efforts to fight the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — by refusing to make iPhones compatible with a contact-tracing app called “StopCovid”.
Countries are increasingly developing smartphone apps and taking technical measures to keep the global pandemic in check while reopening the hard-hit economy.
These dedicated apps use Bluetooth to allow phones to interact with nearby devices and detect when users, who are potential carriers of the deadly virus, come into contact.
Usually, Apple’s iPhone blocks access to Bluetooth in background running apps, unless the users allow it themselves.
According toreports, French officials want Apple to change the settings to let their app access Bluetooth in the background, however, the company refused to make the said modifications.
“Apple could have helped us make the application work even better on the iPhone. They have not wished to do so. I regret this, given that we are in a period where everyone is mobilised to fight against the epidemic, and given that a large company that is doing so well economically is not helping out the government in crisis,” said French minister for digital technology in an official statement.
A spokesperson for Apple in France, on the other hand, declined to comment on the matter.
Certain speculations are, however, being made.
Companies like Apple and Google — who are responsible for managing the data of almost all smartphones — want the data of phones to stay in the device, rather placing it in central databases that are managed by governments around the world.
However, France and other countries want to keep contact data in the central database, which can trigger security breaches and pose threats to users.
The French minister thinks that “oversight of the healthcare system, fighting the coronavirus, is a matter for governments and not necessarily for big American companies.”
“The app should be ready to be deployed by June 2 regardless of Apple’s stance, and would enter a testing phase by May 11, when the country starts to unwind its lockdown,” he reportedly said.
It merits a mention that In France,Apple’smobile operating system accounted for 21.1 per cent of the market in the first quarter, while Google’s Android accounted for 78.8%. Britain, which is using the same centralised approach as France to store data, will start testing its COVID-19 tracing app on the Isle of Wight from Tuesday (today).
Prince Harry doesn’t want Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ to cover his life and has said that he will stop the production of the series before they cover his life. According to the Daily Express, Royal biographer Angela Levin revealed that Harry had told her about his plans when she had met him at Buckingham Palace.
“Well Harry, when I went to interview him at the palace, the first thing he said to me when he shook my hand was ‘Are you watching The Crown?’… “And I had been at the time and I felt very embarrassed,” she added.
“I got up and he said, ‘I’m going to make sure I stop it before they get to me,” she said.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan and son Archie are no longer working members of the Royal Family
There are rumours that Netflix would be interested in working with Harry and Meghan. According to The Daily Mail, when Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarando was asked if they would be interested in working with the couple, he said, “Who wouldn’t be interested?”
On the other hand, there are also reports that Netflix will not be covering present day royals. According to The Sun, Suzanne Mackie the executive producer of ‘The Crown’ said it’s unlikely it will ever cover today’s royals. She said: “To be honest, whatever the life of The Crown is after where we are now, I doubt we’ll ever go as far into the present day.”
The Crown is currently chronicling Prince Charles life, who is Harry’s father
‘The Crown’ is a Netflix series that chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II and is in it’s third season.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have given up their royal titles to live an independent life in Canada. Latest pictures show Meghan hiking with baby Archie and Harry recently attended an event where he said that he was ‘sad‘ about the way things turned out.
Meghan Markle, all smiles as she hikes in Canada with her son and dogs
Harry returns to Canada after two weeks of being in England for the last of his royal engagements
More than 1,000 women will be running for elections in the United Kingdom in the general elections on December 12. Out of the 1,000, 23 women have Pakistani or Kashmiri roots.
Naz Shah is a Labour Party MP. She was appointed to a junior Shadow Ministerial role as Shadow Minister of State for Women and Equalities.
Nine of the Pakistani origin women are running for a parliamentary seat for the Labour Party. Three out of the nine women – Yasmin Qureshi, Naz Shah and Shabana Mahmood – were members of the previous two Parliaments.
Yasmin Qureshi is with the Labour Party. She headed the criminal legal section of the UN Mission in Kosovo
Shabana Mahmood is a British Labour Party politician and barrister, who has been the Member of Parliament since 2010
Five Pakistani origin women are running for a parliamentary seat on a Conservative Party ticket. One of them – Nusrat Ghani – has been elected twice before and was also a minister in the previous two cabinets.
Nusrat Ghani, also known as Nus Ghani is with the Conservative Party. She currently serves as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport and Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Two candidates – Irum Altaf Kiyani and Humera Kamran are contesting as independents.
Former Indian cricketing star Yuvraj Singh’s hilarious response to former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar’s tweet, wherein he had criticised England’s Jofra Archer, has gone viral over the internet.
As per the details, Akhtar recently slammed Archer when the latter’s bouncer left Australian batsman Steve Smith rolling on the ground.
He was seen sharing a laugh with English wicketkeeper Jos Buttler after Smith suffered a nasty blow to his head on day four of the 2nd Ashes Test at Lord’s on Sunday.
Being a paceman himself, Akhtar criticised Archer over his reaction and tweeted:
Bouncers are a part & parcel of the game but whenever a bowler hits a batsman on the head and he falls, courtesy requires that the bowler must go & check on him. It was not nice of Archer to just walk away while Smith was in pain. I was always the first one to run to the batsman.
However, Akhtar’s reaction was met with a hilarious tweet by Yuvraj Singh, who wrote, “Yes you did! But your actual words were, hope you are alright mate cause there are a few more coming”.
Yes you did ! But your actual words were hope your alright mate cause there are a few more coming
Irish and British cricketer Eoin Morgan, who steered the England cricket team to victory in the 2019 World Cup on Sunday, has said that “Allah was with them”.
After a sensational win against New Zealand in the World Cup final held at Lord’s, Dublin-born Morgan was asked whether England team enjoyed the famed luck of the Irish.
“I spoke to Adil (England leg-spinner Adil Rashid), he said Allah was definitely with us,” he said in response.
“It actually summarises our team. Quite diverse backgrounds and cultures and guys grow up in different countries and to actually find humour in the situation we were in at times was pretty cool,” Morgan added.
Earlier, England lifted their maiden World Cup. Both the Englishmen and Kiwis scored 241 runs which led to a first-ever Super Over in the World Cup final.
Both teams scored 15 runs each, however, England was declared the winner based on boundary count in the match.
