The European Union is seeking to secure its supply lines of critical raw materials, including lithium and rare earths, amidst concerns over its dependence on China. Lithium is classified by the EU as a \”critical raw material\” necessary for the transition to cleaner energy, as it is a key component of rechargeable batteries for electric cars and energy grid storage facilities. The EU estimates its demand for lithium will be 57 times what it is today by 2050. Despite the EU securing a new agreement with Chile in December, which has the most abundant supply of high-quality lithium in the world, Europe lacks a reliable home-grown supply of the metal, with China currently dominating raw material supply chains. The EU\’s Critical Raw Materials Act, due to be published this month, will aim to give EU countries a roadmap for navigating the international power struggle over minerals, as well as to ramp up the EU\’s own extraction and refining capacity. The act will also put international alliances front and centre of efforts to cut dependence on China.
Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam, is hoping to add more shots in his batting armor in order to keep up with the ever-changing modern-day cricket.
“You have to try something different in modern-day cricket. I am sticking to my game. I will continue to play the way I do,” Babar said in an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan.
“I have tried one or two new shots in practice. If I gain more confidence in playing them, then I will apply them in the match. Cricket is getting fast-paced, so you have to adapt to modern-day cricket,” he added.
The right-arm batsman is aiming to score his maiden PSL century and wants his new franchise team, Peshawar Zalmi, to win this year\’s PSL under his leadership. He also stated that his ultimate aim is to win the 2023 World Cup in India.
\”I have a lot to achieve, but my main goal is to score maiden PSL century in this year\’s season and win PSL for Peshawar Zalmi. I also want to win this year\’s ICC World Cup 2023 scheduled in India, and I want my country to be named the winning side,\” said Babar.
When asked about his experience playing for his third franchise team, Babar Azam stated,\” It is a good experience for me. First, I played for Islamabad United, then I played for Karachi Kings for five to six years, so I got so much love and respect from the Kings franchise. Now I am playing for Peshawar Zalmi, so I am enjoying a lot, and the Zalmi management is also giving me the same amount of love and respect. I am trying to execute my game plans here as well.\”
The 28-year-old also opened up about the much-hyped contest between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings last week.
\”Every match is important; whether you play with any team, you try to give your 100 percent. It was quite an interesting and close encounter against Kings, so yes, I enjoyed it a lot,\” he said.
Mohammad Amir, who was quite aggressive against Babar during their clash, was unhappy after being driven through covers down the boundary. When asked about how he keeps himself calm, Babar Azam replied.
\”On the field, it\’s a game between bat and ball, and I only try to focus on my batting, and I also try not to divert my focus on such things that will affect my performance. I don\’t think anything happened at that time. Aggression should not be shown, I was keeping focus on my batting, and I try to keep everything simple,\” he said.