) Pakistan and Sri Lanka teams will face each other in the second T20 match to be played on Sunday (today) at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The national team has a 1-0 lead in the 3-match T20 series. Pakistan started the series on a winning note by defeating Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in the first T20 match.

The national team is focused on winning today’s match and taking a decisive lead in the series, while the Sri Lankan team will enter the field to level the series.

Earlier, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by four wickets in the opening T20 International at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, with captain Sahibzada Farhan’s commanding 89 and Maaz Sadaqat’s half-century powering the hosts to a successful chase of 183.

After Sri Lanka posted 182/8 in their allotted 20 overs, Pakistan reached the target despite a late wobble, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Farhan struck 89 off 53 deliveries, while Sadaqat contributed 50 from 29 balls as the pair added 92 runs for the second wicket to put Pakistan firmly on course for victory.
 

The Iran-aligned Houthi militia struck an international airport in the Saudi capital Saturday, killing at least 12 people and wounding 309, according to three authorities familiar with the strike, as the Saudi-Houthi battle intensifies rapidly.

The strike was the bloodiest attack in a Gulf Arab country since the US-Israeli war with Iran started in February.

The officials, two Western and one Arab, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the news media.
In a statement, the Saudi Civil Aviation Authority stated operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were halted on Saturday after the attack.

An eyewitness told Reuters news agency that more than a dozen ambulances were seen rushing to the airport.

The US embassy claimed it was “aware of attacks on King Khalid International Airport” and called on American people to stay away from the airport and nearby areas.

The strike follows a day after authorities said three Saudis, including a pilot, were killed in two strikes on the airport the day before by the Iran-backed Houthis. Three more persons were killed in Houthi strikes on two Saudi airports on 6 and 7 October.

An AFP source at a local hospital said dozens of people were injured in Saturday’s attack.

An eyewitness, who said they were at the domestic terminal, told the news agency they had seen gate 401 struck and “injured [people] in front of my eyes”, adding: “Everyone was running.”

Western embassies in Saudi Arabia have advised their citizens to avoid the airport. The UK Foreign Office said British nationals should stay away “until the airport is secure and to monitor the advice of the Saudi authorities”.

A high-level conference was held at the President House today, headed by President Asif Ali Zardari, to examine the current situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Senior government officials and security agencies attended the meeting.

Sources said the meeting was attended by the prime minister, important federal ministers and security personnel.

The President’s House was also visited by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Naveed Qamar and Sherry Rehman.

The participants went through papers presented by the national security institutions and considered a proposal to declare emergency in 12 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including the combined districts, sources said.

The panel also discussed ideas to use important federal powers to enhance public safety in the province.

Sources said that the group addressed various constitutional alternatives under Articles 232 to 234 of the Constitution.

Sources said that crucial decisions were reached in the meeting about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but the details of the choices could not be known immediately.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left President House after the meeting and returned to Prime Minister House.

Sources said the prime minister also called an emergency meeting of the federal cabinet for tomorrow.