March 20, 2022 – Page 2 – Newswire Pakistan

March 20, 2022March 21, 2022

Bengaluru pitch rated as below average

Dubai, March 20, 2022 (PPI-OT): Javagal Srinath of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees has rated the pitch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that was used for the second Test between India and Sri Lanka as “below average” and the venue has received one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.

Mr Srinath said: “The pitch offered a lot of turn on the first day itself and though it improved with every session, in my view, it was not an even contest between bat and ball.” Mr. Srinath’s report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

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March 20, 2022March 21, 2022

Varying Healthcare Capacities Remain Major Challenge during Fifth Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic

Islamabad, March 20, 2022 (PPI-OT): Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has observed varying healthcare capacities across regions and districts during the fifth wave of COVID-19 pandemic that remained a major challenge and a key concern. With the onset of the spread of the Omicron variant starting in December last year, confirmed cases jumped to 133,839 in January – the highest since the start of the pandemic – while the number of recoveries was reported at 38,366. Compared to January, the cases started declining in February, with 79,855 confirmed cases and 147,548 recoveries reported in the same month.

FAFEN’s findings of the third pandemic governance monitoring report, released on Sunday, reinforce the need for consistent and continued vigilance and the necessity of both medium and long-term structural and policy changes built on the lessons learnt. The report covers Pakistan’s COVID-19 response during January-February 2022.

Compared to the earlier waves, the report highlights a broad two-pronged pandemic response to the fifth surge of COVID-19 that helped Pakistan withstand and manage the challenges relatively well. The first aspect of the response comprised varying levels of restrictions and targeted measures in areas with high positivity rates. The second wave comprised a parallel push for increased vaccination and broadening the eligible population section to include the 12-16 age group. A remarkable increase of 30 million to the fully vaccinated column during the first two months of the ongoing year is a testament to the seriousness accorded to the effort.

Despite a slow start, Pakistan’s vaccination drive gained significant momentum, reaching an average of one million doses per day by the end of last year. Pakistan had administered 216.9 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the first week of March 2022. Approximately 100 million people were fully vaccinated (65 percent of the vaccine eligible population and 44 percent of the total estimated population), whereas around 127.5 million are ‘partially vaccinated’ as per the information provided by the NCOC website and their official Twitter account. The numbers reflect a major and significant achievement in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The report, however, cites several areas that require attention.

Clarity and public release of detailed data will help all key stakeholders better assess and oversee the government’s pandemic response whilst simultaneously allowing civil society and aid organizations to sharpen their focus on areas and segments of the population that are lagging or marginalized. For instance, the official data as provided for the fully and partially vaccinated population warrants an elaboration to avoid misinterpretation of the data.

Similarly, the need for the public release of vaccination data at the regional and district levels, disaggregated by gender, age-group, and demographic divide will go a long way in informing all key stakeholders to fine-tune their efforts and engagements. At the moment, such data is not publicly available.

As assessed in the report, had the Omicron variant been as severe as the earlier variants, it would have seriously tested the health care system – a factor that shall not be lost on policymakers responsible for responding to any new variant of COVID-19 or a completely new pandemic. For instance, the availability of beds, ventilators, and doctors within the observed districts shows that the healthcare system in Pakistan is still underequipped – more so in some areas than others.

If the situation had necessitated the hospitalization of those infected, the number of patients per ventilator and patients per bed would have resulted in severe consequences for some of the districts. For instance, Karak district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would have 21,132 and 1,023 patients per ventilator and bed respectively, followed by Mardan with 669 patients per ventilator and 324 patients per bed, and Rawalpindi with 204 patients per ventilator and four patients per bed.

The variance in testing numbers across regions and districts is yet another concern – a result reflecting a host of issues ranging from logistic to economic and social. The total number of public and private testing facilities within the 59 districts observed in this cycle were 91 and seven, respectively. It is pertinent to note that barring select districts, the testing numbers for most of the districts are not publically available. Testing numbers and ratios are significantly varying for the districts whose data is available. Although Pakistan has improved in terms of expansion of COVID-19 tests, it still lags behind the neighbouring countries. Overall, Pakistan continues to rank at 164 with 115,908 tests per one million population, while Iran and India rank at 116 and 118 (with 550,887 and 547,226 tests) globally.

The private sector has played a significant role in providing services and facilities that have contributed to the overall pandemic governance and response. However, there remains the need for more effective regulation, especially regarding the pricing of critical services. The five EDOs who were interviewed reported 85 private facilities and 37 facilities established by the welfare organizations that provided COVID-19 related treatment. Augmenting the 289 ventilators in the public sector facilities, the private sector health facilities were a significant 152 ventilators as reported by the EDOs of the five districts.

However, what remains a key concern for the government is the issue of price regulation. Attendants of patients interviewed at various health facilities highlighted the significant variance in test pricing. The respondents claimed to have paid prices ranging between PKR 1,000 and PKR 15,000 or more. Coupled with reported shortages of some medicines during the same period, the situation demands a robust evaluation of the price regulatory regime and the equally significant enforcement mechanism that whilst building on the benefits of the private sector’s investments also safeguards the interests of the citizens.

For more information, contact:
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN)
FAFEN Representative
FAFEN Secretariat 224, Margalla Road F-10/3 – Islamabad
Tel: +92-51-2211026
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Email: media@fafen.org
URL: www.fafen.org

March 20, 2022March 21, 2022

Walsh: West Indies have silenced critics

Dubai, March 20, 2022 (PPI-OT): West Indies head coach Courtney Walsh is delighted his side have proved their doubters wrong ahead of Monday’s crucial ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 clash against Pakistan.

Few had the Windies earmarked for the semi-finals before the sides arrived in New Zealand but after shocking the hosts and England before sneaking past Bangladesh, Walsh’s side are on the cusp of the last four despite heavy defeats to India and Australia.

A win over Pakistan would be enough to seal the deal if India fail to beat Bangladesh, however, two wins from two – with unbeaten South Africa lying in wait in their final game – should see them progress regardless.

Walsh said: “I’m very pleased. When we left home, a lot of people probably didn’t give us any chance and our last campaign wasn’t as we would have liked it to be.

“This one started very, very well. So, everybody had high hopes. And then we lost two games which is a disappointment, which you can understand from the fans, as we want to win, and we want to do well.

“I’m very, very pleased to be in the position that we’re in now, very happy for the performances of the individuals who have put their hand up.

“But I still don’t think that we have put together the game that we know we can as a team and have all departments doing well.”

Hayley Matthews’ all-round exploits have been crucial to the West Indies’ success with the 24-year-old the tournament’s joint top wicket-taker and seventh highest run-scorer.

Matthews’ off-breaks have brought her 10 victims while conceding just four runs an over, while she averages 45 with the bat having smoked 225 runs in the tournament so far, including a blistering 119 at the top of the order, having initially been destined for the engine room, in the opening win over the White Ferns.

And legendary fast bowler Walsh reserved special praise for his star performer who he hopes can kick on into the latter stages.

He said: “She has had a tremendous tournament, very special. She’s a very special player.

“She’s just gone about her business in the interest of the team. And when you have people playing like that for the team and preparing to do anything that requires to get the team over the line, as a coach, you have to be happy to have a player of that calibre in your team.

“She’s doing excellent with the bat. Very, very good with the ball. As we saw in the last game, the catches that she has taken – so when you have someone like that around you, you just have to be happy for them and hope that the form continues right throughout the World Cup.”

David Hemp’s Pakistan are unable to make the semi-finals after four straight defeats but are aiming to finish the tournament on a high with the head coach targeting three wins from three, starting with the West Indies, to round off their campaign.

He said: “The goal is winning all three, so that hasn’t changed. We obviously take one game at a time because that’s all you can look at. So, for us, nothing has shifted there despite the results. It’s all about focus on the West Indies.

“The key is we keep trying, we keep working with the players and keep instilling that belief in themselves but also the way in which they train, how they train and keep challenging the training, so that at some stage they will get over the line in match situations.

“And then once they do that as a team as a collective, then hopefully you’ll see some confidence grow as a team and they will get more wins.”

March 20, 2022March 21, 2022

Satterthwaite: ‘Gut-wrenching’ England loss hard to stomach

Dubai, March 20, 2022 (PPI-OT): Stand-in captain Amy Satterthwaite described New Zealand’s one-wicket loss to England as “gut-wrenching” after it put them on the brink of being knocked out of their home ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022.

Satterthwaite took over the reins from usual skipper Sophie Devine after she injured her back while batting and was unable to field before Satterthwaite’s wife Lea Tahuhu pulled up with a hamstring injury.

In their absence, Frankie Mackay stepped up and took career-best figures of four for 34 to pull England back into a tight contest when chasing a sub-par 204 after New Zealand had suffered their own batting collapse, losing eight for 69.

Nat Sciver’s 61 from 108 balls proved crucial as No.11 Anya Shrubsole went on to hit the winning runs to earn another last-gasp victory for defending champions England that kept their own World Cup hopes alive.

Satterthwaite said: “It is never a nice position to be in when you’re relying on other results and I think coming into today, we felt like we still had it in our control.

“It’s pretty gut-wrenching to get that close and not quite get over the line and feel like you’re standing on the edge of the cliff, borderline out of the competition.”

With Tahuhu and Devine off the field, Brooke Halliday was called on to bowl, taking her maiden international wicket to dismiss Amy Jones before Sophia Dunkley’s departure sparked a collapse of five wickets for 20 runs.

Despite moving just one wicket away from a famous win, the White Ferns could not get over the line and Satterthwaite cited the loss of two key players and their lower order batting as key issues.

She added: “The frustrating part is I really felt that we turned a corner against India in the series before this tournament as a group and we started to put some consistent totals on the board around that sort of 260/270 [mark] and everyone was playing their role superbly.

“We’ve obviously had some things not go our way today with the likes of Sophie’s injury, we’ve obviously lost Lauren Down coming into this tournament.

“But I still back the people that were in this line-up to produce bigger scores than what we have been and I think sometimes we possibly get a little bit ahead of ourselves and think we need more than we do.

“We need to use a bit of guts and determination to take it a little bit deeper to be able to get that score on the board.

“I thought Maddy [Green] and myself had absorbed a little bit [of pressure] today and were just starting to turn a corner and gain a little bit of momentum and my wicket was really poor timing in that sense, and unfortunately after that it was a little bit of dominoes.”

For Kate Cross, who was England’s best bowler with figures of three for 35, another close game has left her side feeling deflated despite prevailing in a must-win encounter after almost letting a simple run chase slip from their grasp at Eden Park.

She said: “It’s just about finding ways of winning and we found a way to win today, and we’ll go away we’ll review our batting honestly and we’ll review our bowling honestly like we do with every game.

“I think it feels like we’ve lost, it feels a little bit like there’s quite a lot of negative chatter around which obviously is not the case, we’ve just won a must-win game of cricket against New Zealand on their home soil at Eden Park with the biggest crowd that we’ve played in front of.

“To come away with two points is still massive and we shouldn’t be too disheartened either because we did half of that game very, very well and tournament cricket is all about peaking at the right time.

“So, as long as we can keep going and keep making improvements, which I feel like we have since the first couple of games, then hopefully we can get ourselves into that knockout stage.”

March 20, 2022March 21, 2022

England’s unassuming World Cup hero does it again

Dubai, March 20, 2022 (PPI-OT): England left it late to win another ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup game and once again Anya Shrubsole finished with her arms aloft having seen them home.

After producing record figures of six for 46 in a World Cup final to bowl India out and win England the trophy in 2017, this time Shrubsole held her nerve with the bat.

After a smart bowling performance, led by Shrubsole’s fellow seamer Kate Cross, England were chasing just 204 on a good batting wicket, but just like their previous game against India, they did it the hard way.

Once Sophia Dunkley departed for 33 to leave England on 176 for five, a collapse ensued with well-set Nat Sciver bowled by Jess Kerr for 61.

Such was England’s lower order struggles that Shrubsole’s vital unbeaten seven was the highest score they produced.

Sophie Ecclestone was bowled by Frankie Mackay for a duck, the spinner taking career-best figures of four for 34.

Then Katherine Brunt was left stranded and face down on the wet Eden Park pitch after a desperate dive failed to prevent her being run out by a combination of Maddy Green and wicketkeeper Katey Martin.

Cross would go for two to leave youngster Charlie Dean and the wily Shrubsole to chase down eight runs with 28 balls remaining.

Shrubsole had time, but did she have the nerve?

Of course, she did.

The right-hander settled herself taking four balls to get off the mark when facing Hannah Rowe before pushing a delivery for a single to keep herself on strike.

Then she was up against Mackay, who was hunting a five-fer to seal a famous World Cup-saving victory for the hosts.

A pattern was emerging as three dots were followed by a run, but this time it meant Dean would have to face two balls with England still needing five.

Dean safely negated those to leave Shrubsole on strike for the next over which was bowled by Brooke Halliday who had come into the attack for the injured Lea Tahuhu.

There would be no more dots in the innings as Halliday’s first delivery was sent to the boundary for four with a delightful stroke by Shrubsole, easing the visible tension in the England dugout.

They couldn’t lose, but there was still a chance of a super over – it was England v New Zealand after all.

Shrubsole had other ideas, finding the gap in the field to take the one run England needed, her roar of relief a stark contrast to the desolation of the New Zealand players.

England’s No.11 had done it and despite her celebration at the end, she will be keeping quiet about her part in the win.

Cross said: “I’m pretty sure she won’t want any attention for what she’s done today, but to be able to go out there and finish that game off, it was just so important to us as a team.

“Obviously it keeps our hopes alive in this tournament and I think when we look back they’re going to be the really tiny moments [that matter].

“We found a way to win today and it felt like at the start of the tournament we were finding ways to lose, so the fact that we’ve managed to get the win today is very, very important and kudos to Anya for going out there and completing it for us.”

March 20, 2022March 21, 2022

England hold on to keep World Cup chances alive

Dubai, March 20, 2022 (PPI-OT): Defending champions England held on to beat New Zealand by one wicket to keep their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 hopes alive while all but ending the hosts’ hopes of making the semi-finals.

New Zealand posted a below-par 203, losing their final eight wickets for 69 as Maddy Green ran out of partners on 52 not out.

Injuries to Sophie Devine and Lea Tahuhu left the White Ferns without two senior players but their bowlers stepped up to push England all the way before Anya Shrubsole hit the winning runs.

New Zealand were quick off the mark, benefitting from more wayward bowling by England’s opening seamers Katherine Brunt and Shrubsole as they reached 52 without loss by the end of the powerplay.

Suzie Bates then departed for 22 from 36 balls as Kate Cross picked up her first wicket, the opener misdirecting a looping ball to Tammy Beaumont before Devine retired hurt on 37 from 42 balls with a back injury.

England capitalised on that good fortune with runs hard to come by, Cross delivering the first maiden of the day.

Spinner Charlie Dean continued her fine form as she got the wicket of Amelia Kerr, who had to go for 24 from 38 after Shrubsole held onto a catch at fine leg to leave New Zealand on 96 for two.

After taking four wickets in the win over India, off-spinner Dean proved the difference again after breaking Amy Satterthwaite and Maddy Green’s promising partnership on 38.

The 21-year-old trapped Satterthwaite LBW for 24 from 42, a review showing the ball just clipping the bails.

Green’s fifty compensated for her running out Brooke Halliday as Nat Sciver’s fine fielding forced a breakthrough that sparked a collapse which saw New Zealand lose six wickets for 47 runs.

Katey Martin went LBW before Tahuhu fell for a duck thanks to a fabulous one-handed catch from captain Heather Knight.

Devine returned to the field but only added four runs to her total before holing out to Dean at long-on to leave New Zealand on 161 for seven with 10 overs remaining.

Frances Mackay became the third LBW dismissal of the day when she was given out on review after making just one run.

When Hannah Rowe went for five her side were 184 for nine and in danger of not making 200.

Jess Kerr showed some late attacking intent until a miscommunication between her and Green saw her run out to bring the innings to a close on 203 with New Zealand failing to bat out their overs.

England’s opening partnership had only put on 17 runs when Danni Wyatt was dismissed by a great take from Rowe who stretched out her arms as the ball flew over her head.

Tahuhu finally got her length right off the final ball of her first over to dismiss Beaumont for 25 and leave England on 53 for two at the end of the powerplay.

That scalp made Tahuhu the highest wicket-taker for New Zealand in ODIs with 93, surpassing Aimee Watkins, but she then added to her side’s injury worries, with Devine unable to field, after being forced off with a hamstring issue.

Knight built steadily with Sciver, always keeping England above the DLS par score with rain around, until she was given out LBW off the bowling of Mackay for 42.

Halliday then took her maiden international wicket to dismiss Amy Jones for one from five balls when the wicketkeeper-batter sent the ball straight to stand-in captain Satterthwaite at mid-wicket.

Sciver was joined by Sophia Dunkley and the pair patiently brough up their half-century stand off 64 balls as England moved within 50 of victory.

But when Dunkley was clean-bowled by Mackay for 33 it sparked a collapse of five for 20 that almost cost them the game.

Sciver was then dismissed by Jess Kerr for 61 to leave England on 187 for six with 6.4 overs remaining.

Ecclestone went without scoring before Cross was given out LBW as Mackay earned career-best figures of 4-34, England slipping to 194 for eight.

Brunt’s despairing dive failed to save her from being run out with eight still needed and New Zealand needing just one wicket to snatch victory.

However, Shrubsole would get the job done, taking the time that her predecessors had failed to, before celebrating wildly as England just about held their nerve.

England beat New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland by one wicket

New Zealand 203 in 48.5 overs (Maddy Green 52 not out, Sophie Devine 41; Kate Cross 3/35, Sophie Ecclestone 3/41)

England 204/9 in 47.2 overs (Nat Sciver 61, Heather Knight 42; Frances Mackay 4/34, Jess Kerr 2/36)

Player of the Match: Nat Sciver (England)