Islamabad: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the schedule for the T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up matches, set to take place from Monday, May 27 to Saturday, June 1 across various venues in the USA and Trinidad and Tobago.

The warm-up games will be hosted at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas, Broward County Stadium in Florida, Queen’s Park Oval, and Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago.

Pakistan and England will not participate in the warm-up matches as they will be engaged in a critical four-match T20I series from May 22 to May 30.

Seventeen teams will compete in the warm-up fixtures, including South Africa, which will hold an intra-squad match on May 29 in Florida. These 20-over games will not carry official T20 international status, allowing teams to field all members of their 15-player squads.

Unlike previous tournaments, teams now have the option to play up to two warm-up matches, depending on their arrival time at the event. A notable fixture includes the clash between the West Indies and Australia at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday, May 30, which will be open to the public.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Warm-up Fixtures:

Monday, May 27

Canada vs. Nepal, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Texas 10:30

Oman vs. Papua New Guinea, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 15:00

Namibia vs. Uganda, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 19:00

Tuesday, May 28

Sri Lanka vs. Netherlands, Broward County Stadium, Florida 10:30

Bangladesh vs. USA, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Texas 10:30

Australia vs. Namibia, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago 19:00

Wednesday, May 29

South Africa intra-squad, Broward County Stadium, Florida 10:30

Afghanistan vs. Oman, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago 13:00

Thursday, May 30

Nepal vs. USA, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Texas 10:30

Scotland vs. Uganda, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 10:30

Netherlands vs. Canada, Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Texas 15:00

Namibia vs. Papua New Guinea, Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad and Tobago 15:00

West Indies vs. Australia, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago 19:00

Friday, May 31

Ireland vs. Sri Lanka, Broward County Stadium, Florida 10:30

Scotland vs. Afghanistan, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago 10:30

Saturday, June 1

Bangladesh vs. India, Venue TBC, USA

Lahore: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider on Friday said that Pakistan valued its bilateral relations with the United Kingdom.

He was taking to British High Commissioner Jane Marriott who called on him in Lahore on Friday.

Sardar Saleem Haider expressed gratitude for the UK's support to Pakistan during difficult times, such as floods and earthquakes.

He emphasized that Pakistan has suffered greatly from floods due to climate change, which has also adversely affected the agricultural sector.

The British High Commissioner assured that the UK will provide all possible assistance to Pakistan in tackling climate change.

Islamabad: Malala Funds on Friday welcomed Pakistan’s new education emergency plan to address its national education crises and bring more than 26 million out-of-school children into schools under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Malala Fund welcomes this news, which responds to demands from Pakistani activists, educators and civil society for the administration to take urgent action on girls’ education, said a statement.

Through the Education Emergency initiative, the government of Pakistan aims to make significant reductions to the overall number of children out of school. In a directive released from the Prime Minister’s office on Friday, the government has committed to allocating at least Rs25 billion to education over the next five years. This includes a commitment to increase its education budget from 1.7 per cent to four per cent of GDP.

“The Education Emergency Initiative is a promising first step,” said Lena Alfi, Acting CEO of Malala Fund. “If Pakistan fulfils its commitment to double education spending over the next five years, it could change the trajectory of millions of girls’ lives for the better. Malala Fund looks forward to monitoring the progress of all commitments made to girls alongside our local partners and civil society.”

The directive also included commitments to fast-track teacher recruitment and support the development and expansion of nutritional, financial literacy, and science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) programming for students.

In Pakistan, 12 million girls are out of school, and only 13 per cent of girls advance to grade 9. Malala Fund wants to help speed up progress.

Since 2017, the Malala Fund has invested more than $12 million in local activists and organisations who are driving solutions to the education barriers girls in their communities face.  This work has focused on advocating for quality education, improved school infrastructure in rural regions and wider digital inclusion.

Malala Fund has also worked in partnership with the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training over the last two years to improve girls’ access to STEAM education at public secondary schools across the country.

In his remarks at the National Education Emergency Conference in Islamabad last week, Prime Minister Sharif said: “Today, with iron conviction, and the support of provinces, we will handle the challenge of 26 million out-of-school children. We will bring them back to school…I declare from this moment an Emergency in Education all over Pakistan…The way we did it in Punjab, we will do it in Pakistan.”

Leaders including Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Federal Minister for Education, and Mohyuddin Wani, Federal Secretary for Education, also endorsed the Prime Minister’s message. Conference attendees included diplomats, donor organisations, academics and members of civil society. The World Bank, UNICEF and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) committed to continue investing in education in Pakistan.