An all-round performance led by Maaz Sadaqat helped Pakistan record a convincing 128-run victory by DLS over Bangladesh in the second ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.

The three-match series is level at 1-1, with the third ODI scheduled at the same venue on Sunday, 15 March.

Batting first after the hosts opted to field, Pakistan posted a competitive 274 in 47.3 overs, thanks to a blazing innings from Maaz Sadaqat and a solid middle-order effort from Shaheen Shah Afridi’s side.

Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat gave Pakistan a brisk start, adding 103 for the first wicket inside 13 overs. Maaz was the aggressor, hitting six fours and five sixes in a 46-ball 75, reaching his fifty in just 31 balls. This was Maaz’s second ODI, after making his international debut in the series opener.

After the quick start, Mohammad Rizwan (44, 59b, 5x4s) and Salman Ali Agha (64, 62b, 7x4s, 2x6s) rebuilt the innings with a crucial 109-run fourth-wicket partnership that steadied Pakistan following a brief middle-order wobble.

Bangladesh spinner Rishad Hossain claimed three wickets and Mehidy Hasan Miraz took two, but Pakistan’s total proved enough after rain reduced Bangladesh’s chase to 243 in 32 overs under the DLS method.

Pakistan’s bowlers then produced a clinical new-ball spell as Shaheen struck twice early to remove Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto, while Mohammad Wasim dismissed Saif Hassan to leave the hosts 13 for 3.

Litton Das (41, 33b, 4x4s, 2x6s) and Towhid Hridoy (28, 38b, 2x4s) tried to rebuild, but Maaz’s left-arm spin turned the match further Pakistan’s way with a superb 3 for 23, removing Litton, Afif Hossain and Rishad Hossain in quick succession.

Haris Rauf also bowled with pace and control, grabbing three wickets for 26, while Faheem Ashraf chipped in with one wicket as Bangladesh were bowled out for 114 in 23.3 overs, well short of the revised target.

For his match-winning all-round performance of 75 runs and three wickets, 20-year-old Maaz was named player of the match.

Nehal Hashmi of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was sworn in as governor of Sindh during an oath-taking ceremony at Governor House, Karachi, on Friday, NBTV News reported.

Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court, Justice Zafar Rajput, administered the oath to him. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers, officials from the Bar Council, PML-N leaders and people from various walks of life also attended the ceremony.

Nehal replaces Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P)’s Kamran Tessori after President Asif Ali Zardari approved his appointment on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

There had been growing speculation about a change at Governor’s House, with reports that the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Sindh was unhappy with Tessori’s performance. Tessori had faced criticism from other political leaders and legal bodies for allegedly engaging in political activities from the Governor’s House, an office that is supposed to remain non-partisan.

Nehal, who hails from Karachi’s Malir district, has maintained a decades-long association with the PML-N. His political career began as a legal adviser to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from 1997 to 1999.

The PML-N leader later took on key leadership roles within the party, serving as president of the PML-N Karachi chapter in 2012 before being appointed general secretary for the Sindh chapter in 2014.

In 2015, he was elected to the Senate on a PML-N seat from Punjab. Although his party membership was briefly suspended in 2017, it was formally restored in 2021, marking his return to the party’s core political circle.

Central Command has said that B-2 bombers have been dispatched to attack Iran.

Officials say the goal of this action is to eliminate the Iranian threat and prevent Iran from getting back on its feet.

Earlier, US Defense Secretary Pat Hegseth said the leaders of the Iranian regime have gone underground, that the most severe attacks will take place today, and that we will not stop. He added that the world does not need to be worried about what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Secretary of Defense said that an average of more than 1,000 attacks are being launched on Iran every day. These attacks were carried out jointly by the US Air Force and the Israeli Air Force. After the attacks, Iran’s military power has been significantly weakened.

He further said that the goal of the United States and Israel is to completely destroy or disable all of Iran’s key military capabilities, and that companies associated with Iran’s defense industry will soon also be targeted.

Donald Trump has deployed thousands of US Marines to the Strait of Hormuz as the energy crisis from the Iran war grows.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth approved a request to send an amphibious ready group, consisting of warships and about 5,000 Marines.

It includes the USS Tripoli, an 18,500-ton amphibious assault ship, as well as the USS San Diego and USS New Orleans, according to Axios.

The White House will also send the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, a mobile military group based in Japan that responds to crises and raids.

The deployment would also bring America’s premier fighter jet, the F-35, to the Strait.

Three American officials told The Wall Street Journal that the request was made by US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees military operations in the Middle East.

The newspaper said Hegseth today stressed that Washington will “defeat, destroy, disable” Iran’s military.

He added: “But it’s not just that Iran doesn’t have a functioning Air Force, or that their entire Navy is at the bottom of the Persian Gulf, or their missile force is shrinking daily.

They also don’t have the ability to build more. That’s the most important component I’d like to emphasize today.”

The US military has confirmed the identities of all six soldiers killed in the conflict with Iran.

They died when an unmanned aircraft system evaded air defences and struck a command centre in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on Sunday.

US Central Command initially said three soldiers had died in the attack, but officials confirmed on Monday that the death toll had doubled after one person succumbed to injuries and two more bodies were found in the rubble.

Those killed were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M Marzan, 54; Maj Jeffrey R O’Brien, 45; Capt Cody Khork, 35; Sgt Noah Tietjens, 42; Sgt Nicole Amor, 39; and Sgt Declan Coady, 20, who was posthumously promoted from specialist.

The six identified by the Pentagon were members of the Army Reserve, which, according to its website, provides logistical support to broader U.S. military operations.

Four were identified on Tuesday, while the identities of the last two—Marzan and O’Brien—were disclosed on Wednesday.

“These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said in a statement.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump intends to attend “the dignified transfer of these American heroes” to stand in grief alongside their families. She added that the Defense Department was scheduling the repatriation of the remains.

Khork had previously deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay, and Poland. The Florida resident had wanted to serve in the military from a young age and enlisted in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at his university, his family told the Associated Press.

Khork was “truly the life of the party, known for his infectious spirit, generous heart, and deep care for those who served alongside him and for everyone blessed to know him,” his mother Donna Burhans, father James Khork, and stepmother Stacey Khork said in a statement.

Amor, of Minnesota, had previously deployed to Kuwait and Iraq. “She was almost home,” her husband Joey Amor told the AP. “You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of the Defence Forces, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, held a significant meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.

Official photographs of the encounter have been released — in them, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir appears in the Combat Dress of Pakistan’s Armed Forces, a sartorial choice that carries profound symbolic weight.

While it is customary for the Army Chief to wear ceremonial uniform on foreign visits, his decision to appear in combat dress during this meeting sends a clear message of Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with its long-standing brotherly ally, Saudi Arabia.

This striking gesture reaffirms Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to the defence of Saudi Arabia within the framework of their enduring bilateral relationship and defence agreement.

The PML-N-led federal government on Thursday moved abruptly to remove Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori and installed senior party leader Syed Nehal Hashmi as his replacement, a surprise decision that sent ripples through political circles.

The change prompted a strong reaction from coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), which complained it had not been consulted before its nominee was removed. MQM-P described the step as a ‘grave mistake’ by Islamabad and said it would soon determine its course of action.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the decision followed a meeting at the PM House between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Mr Hashmi. A brief PMO statement said the prime minister met Mr Hashmi and decided to nominate him as governor of Sindh, after which the premier forwarded a summary to President Asif Ali Zardari for final approval.

Video of the meeting showed Deputy PM Ishaq Dar and the prime minister’s political adviser, Rana Sanaullah, in attendance.

Later in the evening, the Presidency confirmed that President Zardari approved Hashmi’s appointment, acting on the prime minister’s advice under Articles 48 and 101 of the Constitution. The Presidency’s X account said the commission of appointment had been signed and that Hashmi will take his oath before the chief justice of the Sindh High Court.

سندھ حکومت نے کل عام تعطیل کا اعلان کیا ہے۔ جس کا نوٹیفکیشن بھی جاری کردیا گیا۔

کراچی سے جاری نوٹیفکیشن کے مطابق جمعہ 13 مارچ کو تمام سرکاری دفاتر اور صوبے میں تمام تعلیمی ادارے بند رہیں گے۔ 

یہ نوٹیفکیشن صوبائی محکمہ سروسز اینڈ جنرل ایڈمنسٹریشن نے جاری کیا

The Sindh government on Tuesday announced a set of austerity measures to reduce the economic impact of the ongoing regional tensions.

It said schools will observe a spring vacation from March 16 to March 31, and colleges and universities will switch to online classes.

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon told a press conference that no ongoing exams will be postponed.

He also clarified that, contrary to some media reports, government operations will not stop on Fridays; instead, government officials will work from home (WFH) on that day.

“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday — you have to work. On Friday, you have to work from home,” he said.

The Sindh minister affirmed that the province endorsed all the decisions announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday.

“The Sindh government has launched its austerity campaign,” he added.

He declared that the provincial government would reduce the fuel allotted for official vehicles by 50 per cent, which would save around Rs960 million.

The provincial ministers have also decided to forgo their salaries for three months from April to June, Memon added.

He further said that the government will send a reference to the Sindh Assembly speaker, but it was up to the speaker and the lawmakers to decide on any similar measure for MPAs.

Memon said that “unnecessary government expenditure”, such as buying furniture and stationery, will be reduced by 20pc, which he said would save around Rs12 billion.

The senior minister stated there would be a complete ban on the government buying “new vehicles and items”, except where necessary, such as ambulances or law and order vehicles.

“Unnecessary foreign visits” would also be barred, Memon said, highlighting that if an official trip was required, Economy Class will be used and “no one will be allowed to use Business Class”.

Detailing further steps, Memon said “many ministers, including the chief minister, said they wanted to withdraw or curtail their security” so that police vehicles could instead be utilised for the public and extra expenses could be avoided.

He added that the cabinet had “mandated the law minister” to immediately withdraw the security protocol allotted to “many such people who were utilising the Sindh government’s and Sindh Police’s security unnecessarily”.

Memon noted these specifically included former caretaker ministers and “committee members”, remarking that people had “unfortunately made it a status symbol”.

“Security is not being withdrawn from those who have genuine cases,” the senior minister affirmed.

He emphasised, “The cabinet has taken strict action, ordering that all kinds of unnecessary expenditures be halted immediately.”

Memon said no Iftar parties would be held on the government’s expenditure and any official event would not be organised at any five-star hotel but at a government building.

“Chief minister sahib and we have decided together that from now on, no minister will attend any Iftari […] Charity begins from home,” he said.

He further announced that refreshments on government expenses will be prohibited in all government offices for two more months after Ramazan.

The minister also expressed his government’s solidarity with the armed forces, noting the Operation Ghazab lil-Haq underway on the Pak-Afghan border against terrorists.

“When we speak about challenges, it is not your or mine, it is our challenge,” he remarked.

Responding to a journalist’s question, Memon said the CM’s plane “will remain grounded during these days”, also clarifying that the aircraft had been purchased by the previous chief minister.

The minister stressed that the money saved by implementing the austerity measures will be utilised for the “public’s welfare”. He added that the government’s priority was not to let the “aftereffects” of the fuel price hikes impact the public.

Bangladesh thrashed Pakistan by eight wickets in the ODI series opener at Shere Bangla Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Chasing a modest target of 115 to go 1-0 up in the series, Bangladesh reached the target in 15.1 overs with eight wickets in hand.

Tanzid Hasan Tamim was the top scorer for the hosts, remaining unbeaten on 67 off 42 balls, hitting seven fours and five maximums. Najmul Hossain Shanto added 27 off 33, laced with five boundaries.

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim took one wicket each. Nahid Rana was named player of the match.

After Bangladesh skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz chose to field, Pakistan were bundled out for 114 in 30.4 overs despite a 41-run opening stand between debutants Sahibzada Farhan (27) and Maaz Sadaqat (18).

Faheem Ashraf was the top scorer for the Green shirts with 37 off 47, including six fours and one maximum. Mohammad Rizwan contributed 10 off 20.

As no other batter could enter the double figures, Pakistan was bowled out for their lowest ODI total against Bangladesh. Pakistan’s previous lowest score against Bangladesh was 161 in the World Cup 1999 match.

Nahid Rana bagged five wickets and Mehidy Hasan Miraz three, while Taskin Ahmed and