Infinity Social Updates

South Africa survived a brilliant all-round show by Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza to record a five-wicket win on Sunday, which means they remained unbeaten ahead of a semi-final against New Zealand on Wednesday. After Zimbabwe scored 153-7 in New Delhi, South Africa survived an early wobble. Dewald Brevis hit 42 off 18 balls as the 2024 runners-up reached 154-5 in 17.5 overs. Raza earlier hit 73 and then took 3-29 with his off-spin for Zimbabwe, who had stunned Australia and co-hosts Sri Lanka in the group stage to reach the Super Eights. Raza struck on the third ball of the South African chase to send back Quinton de Kock, caught behind for a duck. Raza bowled skipper Aiden Markram for four in the next over. Ryan Rickelton was hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Brad Evans and took five minutes to recover. He then lifted Evans for two straight sixes in the next over before the bowler had him caught for 31. Brevis and David Miller, who hit 22, put on 50 before two more quick s...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday postponed his official visit to Russia, citing the recent “regional and internal situation”. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed the development in a statement. It added that the premier’s visit to Russia was of “great significance” for advancing the bilateral relations between the two countries, but given the current situation, it was being postponed. A new date would be decided after “mutual consultations”, the statement added. According to Russian media, PM Shehbaz was due to travel to Russia from March 3 to 5. The development comes as Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban earlier this week after the neighbouring country targeted Pakistani positions along the border. Separately, the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran called the strikes unprovoked and illegal and responded with missiles fired ...

Pakistan’s shortcomings were laid bare during their lacklustre T20 World Cup campaign which ended on Saturday when the team failed to reach the semi-finals. From the captain Salman Agha, who was criticised for not being a T20 player, to slow batting rates and the use of all-rounders not up to the job, the Green Shirts were shown to be behind the times in the rapid-fire format. Former wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal believes there is a huge gulf in standard between Pakistan and the top sides such as India, West Indies, South Africa and England. “Other teams have evolved to the demands of Twenty20 cricket, but neither our team nor our players meet those standards,” Akmal told AFP . “It is like other teams are playing on the moon and we are on earth. We only beat smaller teams but lose to top teams.” Pakistan had high hopes for the T20 World Cup after sweeping Australia 3-0 in a pre-tournament series. The team boasted a quintet of spinners that should have been suited to the ...

The United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes against targets in Iran on Saturday, triggering explosions in the capital Tehran and an escalation across the region. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally — again — obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy,” said US President Donald Trump in an address from his Florida home posted to his Truth Social platform. On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to “remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran”, and urged Iranians to overthrow the Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership. In response to the Israel-US aggression, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran later in the day confirmed the launch of the “first wave” of missile and drone attacks against Israel in response to the strikes on its territory. Political figures and analysts in Pakistan have condemned the recent developmen...

Countries in the Middle East and around the world were watching with bated breath after the United States and Israel carried out long-feared strikes on Iran on Saturday. Trump: ‘annihilate’ US President Donald Trump vowed that the strikes would cripple Iran’s military and urged Iranians to rise up against the Islamic republic. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally — again — obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy,” Trump said in the address from his Florida home posted to his Truth Social platform. Calling on Iranians to stand up to their government, Trump added: “The hour of your freedom is at hand.” But he also warned that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties”. Netanyahu ‘cast off the yoke’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to “remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran”, and urged Iranians to ove...

Multiple Indian and Afghan users on social media platform X shared visuals on February 27, claiming that Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet amid the current conflict between the two countries. However, the visuals are doctored. The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false. To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan analysed the visuals for discrepancies, verified aircraft serial records and ran the content through multiple AI-detection tools. Multiple Indian and Afghan users on social media platform X shared visuals on February 27, claiming that Afghan forces shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet amid the current conflict between the two countries. However, the visuals are doctored. Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against the Afghan Taliban, after the neighbouring country opened fire on multiple locations across the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on February 26. Authorities in Kabul had called it a response to Paki...

When states escalate, they are usually clear about their capacity and objectives. The Afghan Taliban, however, appeared to abandon that principle at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border last night, triggering an intense military confrontation — including airstrikes and artillery exchanges — across the Durand Line as well as deep into Afghan territory. The immediate backdrop of these tensions is not new. Islamabad has for years maintained that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a Pakistani terrorist group affiliated with the Afghan Taliban, operated from Afghan soil because of the official patronage it enjoys there. Only hours before the latest crisis erupted, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi plainly stated that Pakistan’s quarrel was not with the Afghan people but with terrorist safe havens that threaten Pakistani lives. That was the political setting; it emphasised the need for patient engagement and discreet signalling. The Afghan Taliban, however, chose to announce...