Pakistan win toss, elect to bowl against India in T20 WC
New York, Jun 9: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in their Group A T20 World Cup match here on Sunday.
India began the tournament with a facile eight-wicket win over Ireland, while Pakistan were stunned by the USA in their first match.
India retained their playing 11 from the last match while Pakistan brought in Imad Wasim for Azam Khan.
Team: India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube. Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammed Amir.
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Malayali expats express safety concerns in Kerala after prominent NRI businessman’s abduction
Jeddah: The abduction of expatriate businessman V. P. Muhammed Ali has caused concern among the Malayali community in Jeddah, where he has been a prominent figure in business and social circles for nearly five decades.
Muhammed Ali, originally from Poongode in Kalikavu, Malappuram, runs several business ventures in Saudi Arabia, other Gulf countries and Kerala. He is the Managing Director of Jeddah National Hospital and the Rayan Medical Group. News of his abduction has unsettled Gulf-based Malayalis, many of whom regard him as an important supporter of the expatriate community.
The incident occurred on Saturday around 6.30 pm while he was travelling to Kochi Nedumbassery Airport to return to Jeddah. As his vehicle reached Arangottukara on the Malappuram–Palakkad district border, an Innova car reportedly intercepted his vehicle. A group of unidentified men allegedly threatened him at gunpoint, forced him out and pushed him into their car before speeding away.
He was taken to a house in Kothakurissi in Palakkad district and kept captive. In the early hours of Sunday, he managed to escape while his abductors were asleep and reached a nearby mosque for help. Local residents took him to a hospital, where he is undergoing treatment for injuries, including facial wounds.
The motive for the abduction is not yet clear. Muhammed Ali is involved in a case pending before the Supreme Court related to a college in the Nilgiris, and his relatives suspect that individuals connected to the dispute may be behind the kidnapping. Police have intensified the investigation, but the lack of arrests has led to frustration among expatriates.
Malayalis in Jeddah say the incident raises broader concerns about safety in Kerala, particularly for businesspersons and investors. They have urged authorities to ensure the immediate arrest of those responsible and take strong legal action in the case.
