Tag: New Zealand

  • Pakistan to face India tomorrow in Cricket Women’s World Cup

    Pakistan to face India tomorrow in Cricket Women’s World Cup

    Pakistan women’s cricket team will face their first match against arch-rival, India in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Cup. The match will take place at the picturesque Bay Oval, New Zealand on Sunday. The match will start at 6 a.m PST.

    The captain of the Pakistan Women’s Cricket team, Bismah Maroof is confident and optimistic about all her teammate’s performances.

    While talking with fast-bowler, Diana Baig, Bismah said, “We have been putting in the hard yards since our camp is in Karachi, and now is the time to deliver. The atmosphere of the team is very good. I am optimistic that we will do very well in the World Cup.”

    Bismah also shared her excitement for the first match against India in an interview.

    She said, “It is our first match of the tournament and we want to win it so we gain the momentum. In such tournaments, it is very important to start good and carry the moment, and, of course, that increases the significance of the first match. I am sure we will be able to meet expectations from us.”

    Bismah has made a comeback with this ICC tournament after she became a mother of a daughter, Fatima in December 2020. She is leading the cricket team for the first time in ICC ODI Worldcup.

  • New Zealand allows pregnant journalist to return home

    New Zealand allows pregnant journalist to return home

    The New Zealand government has allowed pregnant journalist, Charlotte Bellis to return back to her home country after her application was rejected due to strict Covid protocols.

    While giving a press briefing related to Covid, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister, Grant Robertson said, “There is a place in managed isolation and quarantine for Ms Bellis and I urge her to take it up.”

    He also denied that she was being allowed entry after the outrage caused by the media reporting. He said the staff had to daily with deal with emergency applications.

    He continued, “They always try to make contact with people and try to make arrangements work.”

    Read More: New Zealand denies re-entry of pregnant national, Taliban offers refuge

    Bellis was reporting for Al Jazeera in Afghanistan and came to know about her pregnancy on her return to Doha, Qatar. She left her job in October after she found out because a pregnancy out of wedlock is illegal in Qatar. She went to Belgium, the home country of her partner, Jim Huylebroek. As Bellis is not a resident of the country, she could not stay there for a longer period.

    The Taliban offered her refuge when she had no option except to travel back to Afghanistan with her partner as both had visas.

  • New Zealand denies re-entry of pregnant national, Taliban offers refuge

    New Zealand denies re-entry of pregnant national, Taliban offers refuge

    A former Al Jazeera pregnant journalist, Charlotte Bellis, who is a New Zealand national, was denied re-entry by her home country on the basis of strict Covid-19 protocol. She was offered refuge by the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

    While speaking to Radio New Zealand(RNZ) from Kabul, she said, “This just feels like such a breach of trust.”

    Bellis said that the Taliban told her, “We’re happy for you, you can come and you won’t have a problem”.

    She did not get to know about her pregnancy until she returned back to the Al-Jazeera headquarter in Doha, Qatar.

    She kept quiet about her pregnancy as it is unlawful to conceive a baby out of wedlock in Qatar.

    She left Al Jazeera in November 2021 while working in Afghanistan as a journalist and went to Belgium, the home country of her partner, Jim Huylebroek. As Bellis is not a resident of a country, she could not stay for a longer period.

    She was left with only one option: to travel to Afghanistan with her partner as they had visas. She is currently in Afghanistan.

    Meanwhile, she started her preparation to return back to New Zealand.

    Her application was rejected by authorities in New Zealand for an emergency return.

    New Zealand’s Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins, said on Monday, “I understand she wanted to return on a specific date and that officials reached out to her for more information shortly after looking at her application. The emergency allocation criteria includes a requirement to travel to New Zealand within the next 14 days. Ms Bellis indicated she did not intend to travel until the end of February and has been encouraged by MIQ (Managed isolation and quarantine) to consider moving her plans forward.”

    Bellis applied for a MIQ option through the medical treatment pathway however authority asked her to sign up under the different category where its nationals are in a location that is under serious risk to their safety, she told to RNZ.

    Currently, she is in contact with officials in New Zealand who claimed her rejected application is under review now.

    The New Zealand government has closed down its borders after the emergence of the omicron variant, including for its nationals who want to return back to the country except for special circumstances.

  • Bismah Maroof to lead Pakistan in Women’s World Cup

    Bismah Maroof to lead Pakistan in Women’s World Cup

    Bismah Maroof has become the captain of Pakistan’s cricket team for the ICC Women’s World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand. The tournament will be played from March 4 till April 3.

    The selection committee led by Asmavia Iqbal, which includes Saleem Jaffar and Taufeeq Umar, announced the complete squad.

    An experienced all-rounder, Nida Dar has been appointed as Vice-Captain for the ICC Women’s World Cup.

    The committee also announced the comeback of leg-spinner Ghulam Fatima and opener Nahida Khan in the national team.

    Bismah is returning from a two-year break after she gave birth to her daughter in December 2020.

    According to the new parental policy of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), a support person will be responsible for taking care of her child to keep her focus on the tournament.

    Bismah Maroof said, “It is a great honour for me to lead my country into another World Cup. I am thrilled to be back in action and do what I love and have dedicated my life to.”

    She added, “The recent selection matches proved to be fruitful for me and the whole side as we got some match practice under competitive and challenging environment leading into the mega event. The aim is to reach the World Cup semi-finals and I believe this team has the potential to pull it off.”

    Pakistan Women’s cricket team will start their preparations for the pre-departure camp of 10 days in Karachi from January 27 and will leave for New Zealand on February 8.

    Pakistan squad: Bismah Maroof (captain), Nida Dar (vice-captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Javeria Khan, Muneeba Ali, Nahida Khan, Nashra Sandhu, Omaima Sohail, Sidra Amin, and Sidra Nawaz

    Traveling reserves: Iram Javed, Najiha Alvi, and Tuba Hassan

    Pakistan’s fixtures at ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022:

    6 March – Pakistan v India at Bay Oval, Tauranga

    8 March – Pakistan v Australia at Bay Oval, Tauranga

    11 March – Pakistan v South Africa at Bay Oval, Tauranga

    14 March – Pakistan v Bangladesh at Seddon Park, Hamilton

    21 March – Pakistan v West Indies at Seddon Park, Hamilton

    24 March – Pakistan v England at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

    26 March – Pakistan v New Zealand at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

  • New Zealand PM cancels own wedding due to Omicron restrictions

    New Zealand PM cancels own wedding due to Omicron restrictions

    New Zealand Prime Minister (PM) Jacinda Ardern has cancelled her own wedding as the nation imposes new restrictions in the wake of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

    The prime minister was rumoured to be planning to marry her longtime partner Clarke Gayford.

    “My wedding will not be going ahead,” she said.

    In a briefing, Ardern said, “I just join many other New Zealanders who have had an experience like that as a result of the pandemic and to anyone who’s caught up in that scenario, I am so sorry.”

    She also urged citizens to get booster and reduce contact with others to avoid the spread.

    In a video, she was asked by a reporter how she felt about the postponement of her wedding, Ardern replied: “Such is life.”

    The “red setting” of the country’s pandemic response includes heightened measures such as mask-wearing and limits on gatherings which will go into effect on Monday.

    The latest curbs come after nine cases of Omicron were detected in a single family that flew to Auckland for a wedding earlier this month.

  • Man finds dead cockroach in ear after three days

    Man finds dead cockroach in ear after three days

    A man from Auckland New Zealand thought his ear was clogged with water after taking a swim but after three days with no relief, a doctor discovered something far more creepy and crawly inside. A cockroach had been living in his ears for the past three days.

    Zane Wedding, 40, from South Auckland, New Zealand, said he got home from swimming with a blocked ear. But after falling asleep, waking up and still feeling “immense pressure” in his left ear, Wedding started to get worried.

    So Wedding took a trip to the doctor’s office.

    As soon as the doctor told Wedding what the source of his discomfort was over the past few days, Wedding was astonished and said he jumped out of his chair when he heard the doctor.

    It took about five minutes to extract the dead cockroach and Wedding said as soon as the doctor pulled out the insect that he felt instant relief. 

    To prevent another incident like this from happening again, Wedding said exterminators have been called to flush out any would-be ear invaders from his home. 

    Moreover, cockroaches love dark and damp environments and ears are the perfect spot for these insects, according to Dr. Coby Schal from the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University. 

  • PCB to award cash incentives to 15 cricket players

    PCB to award cash incentives to 15 cricket players

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be giving cash incentives to 15 Pakistani cricket players in recognition of their outstanding performance throughout 2021.

    Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja is expected to present the cash prize of Rs1.5 million to each of the top 15 players who remained an integral part of the unit in all three formats of the game.

    Two Test specialists Abid Ali and Sajjid Khan have also been invited apart from 18 players (three reserves) for their exceptional show in the longer version of the game.

    “The reception to honour the top cricketers is meant to recognise the services of all those cricketers who have helped the team stand tall in almost all the formats of the game,” a PCB official said in a statement.

    “Barring some brief hiccups, the team members have given exceptional performance throughout the year. Be it T20 World Cup performance, Test matches performance at home and abroad, the team has shown exceptional courage in all the departments of the game.”

    “Beating South Africa at their own soil and later sweeping through Bangladesh in their own backyard were exceptional achievements that needed to be recognised,” the PCB official said.

    Pakistan won 20 of 29 T20Is during the year which also saw them putting up some resolute show in the T20 World Cup. The team that was unbeaten eventually lost to Australia in the semi-finals but not before winning many hearts for the competitive element that was on display.

    The reception which will only be attended by the PCB high-ups is supposed to improve morale of the team members in front of the hectic season that also incorporates some important series and T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in October/November.

    Pakistan may also host leading international outfits including Australia, England, New Zealand, and West Indies through the coming season.

    Every player in the 15-man squad would receive Rs1.5 million each as cash incentive while the rest of the five including three reserves and two Test specialists will also be awarded.

  • After consecutively losing to Pakistan, Bangladesh beats New Zealand to register historic Test win

    After consecutively losing to Pakistan, Bangladesh beats New Zealand to register historic Test win

    Bangladesh beat New Zealand for the first time in a match at the 16th attempt with an exceptional eight-wicket victory over the world champions on Wednesday at Mount Maunganui, snapping their hosts’ 17-match unbeaten run on home soil.

    The visiting team only needed 40 runs in their second innings for historic win. The match was wrapped up in one session on the final day as Ebadot Hossain took a career best six for 46 and New Zealand was rolled in second inning for 169.

    Bangladesh previously lost all 32 matches played in New Zealand across all formats, including nine Tests, and the team arrived to start this tour following back-to-back losses at home from Pakistan.

    Bangladesh’s first win in any format of the game in New Zealand gave them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series with the second match starting in Christchurch on Sunday.

  • New Zealand honours Pakistani Naeem Rashid for sacrificing life in Christchurch attack

    New Zealand honours Pakistani Naeem Rashid for sacrificing life in Christchurch attack

    Pakistan-origin doctor, Dr Naeem Rashid has been honoured with the most prestigious bravery award, the New Zealand Cross. Rashid sacrificed his life to save others during the Christchurch mosque massacre in 2019. His award was received by his wife, Ambreen Naeem.

    Ten people, who risked their lives to protect innocents during an attack, are awarded various bravery awards in New Zealand.

    New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern said, “The courage demonstrated by these New Zealanders was selfless and extraordinary. They have our deepest respect and gratitude for their actions on that day.” she added, “Each of them put their life on the line to save others. If not for their collective actions, the loss of life could have been even greater.”

    On March 15, 2019, a white supremacist gunman, Brenton Tarrant killed 44 people at Al Noor Mosque during Friday prayers. The attacker went to another mosque, Linwood Mosque, and took seven innocent lives. He broadcasted the whole attack on Facebook.

    Dr Naeem Rashid challenged the attacker in Al Noor Mosque, disregarding his own safety. When the gunman entered and began firing in the main prayer hall, people started to flee but Rashid ran towards him.

    “In so doing, he enabled others to escape and paid the ultimate price with the loss of his own life. I want to acknowledge Dr Rashid’s wife and family particularly, who will know all too well that his acts that day were a reflection of who he was as a person,” Ardern said.

    Rashid’s wife, Ambreen Naeem, expressed gratefulness while receiving an award and said, “Today we can’t see him, but he has spread his message of peace and love, all over the world.”

    Another survivor, Abdul Aziz who is an Afghan refugee was also honored with the New Zealand Cross award.

    Abdul Aziz, an Afghan refugee was also honored with the New Zealand Cross award.

    He said, “It feels good, like you’ve done something good in your life.”

    New Zealand also has given “New Zealand Bravery Decoration” and “New Zealand Bravery Medal” to eight people who have shown great courage to safeguard innocent lives in the Christchurch attack 2019.

  • ‘Too old and slow’: David Warner’s wife Candice slams trolls after Australian star helps team lift WC title

    ‘Too old and slow’: David Warner’s wife Candice slams trolls after Australian star helps team lift WC title

    Autralian batter David Warner’s wife Candice Warner has slammed the trolls after his crucial 92-run stand with Mitchell Marsh to guide Australia to an 8-wicket victory against New Zealand in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.

    Warner was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’ for his efforts as he ended the World Cup as the second highest scorer behind Pakistan captain Babar Azam, with 289 runs in 7 innings at a strike-rate of 146.70.

    Warner bagged three half-centuries in the tournament and was the biggest reason behind Australia’s maiden global title in cricket’s shortest format.

    His wife Candice taunted the critics in an Instagram post, which she captained as, “Out of form, too old and slow!”

    The post had the photo of Warner with ‘Player of the Tournament’ written on it. She also tagged her husband in it.

    She also congratulated the “champions” for achieving the milestone.

    Warner was unstoppable on Sunday as he hit four boundaries and three sixes in his 38-ball knock. His effortless stroke play also gave confidence to Mitchell Marsh, who stayed on the crease after Warner’s dismissal to finish the job for his team.

    Marsh stayed unbeaten on 77 off 50 balls to complete the job in a season that has seen him become the backbone of Australia’s batting in T20 cricket.