Pakistan Teams Continue Asian Games Campaign as Volleyball, Hockey and Squash Teams Secure Wins
Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail
Pakistan’s volleyball and hockey teams recorded important victories at the Asian Games on Monday, while the country’s squash teams also produced mixed results in their opening pool matches.
The day was also marked by concerns over tournament arrangements after Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan criticised the organisers following a transport mix-up before his team’s match against Uzbekistan.
Volleyball captain raises concerns over arrangements
Pakistan’s volleyball team was taken to the wrong gymnasium by its bus driver shortly before the Pool A match against Uzbekistan.
The delay left the players with limited time to prepare and warm up. Murad Jehan expressed his frustration in a video shared on Instagram, describing the incident as another organisational problem.
According to Murad, the players had to change into their match kits while travelling on the bus because of the shortage of time. He also said that food was not always available at dining areas after training sessions.
Despite the disruption, Pakistan produced a strong performance and defeated Uzbekistan 25-18, 25-18, 25-20.
Murad led Pakistan with 14 points, while Musawer Khan scored 13. Usman Faryad Ali added 10 points and Mohammad Hamad contributed 11.
Pakistan dominated near the net, recording 48 successful spikes and 18 points from blocks, compared with five blocks by Uzbekistan.
The result gave Pakistan two wins from two matches after their earlier 3-1 victory over Kazakhstan. The team will face hosts Japan in their final Pool A match.
Organisational problems have also been reported elsewhere at the Games, with organisers previously apologising for operational issues.
Pakistan hockey team defeats Oman 7-2
Pakistan ended its Asian Games hockey pool campaign with a convincing 7-2 win over Oman.
Rana Waheed scored a hat-trick, while Sufyan Khan scored twice from penalty corners. Ghazanfar Ali and Mohammad Ammad also found the net for Pakistan.
The opening quarter ended without a goal as both teams struggled to break the deadlock. Sufyan eventually opened the scoring in the 22nd minute through a penalty corner.
Oman equalised through Al Baraa Al Nofli in the 27th minute, but Sufyan restored Pakistan’s lead shortly afterwards.
Pakistan extended its advantage in the third quarter, with Rana, Ghazanfar and other attacking players helping the team take control of the match.
Rana completed his hat-trick late in the fourth quarter to seal Pakistan’s seventh goal.
Pakistan had earlier defeated Thailand, Uzbekistan and China before suffering a narrow 5-4 defeat against Malaysia.
The win over Oman gave Pakistan four victories from five pool matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, which are scheduled for October 1.
Pakistan squash teams record mixed results
Pakistan’s men’s squash team made a strong start by defeating the Philippines and Kuwait 3-0 in their respective pool matches.
Veteran Nasir Iqbal, Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan all won their matches in straight games.
Nasir defeated the Philippines’ Van Aero Dalida 11-7, 11-1, 11-4, while Noor beat David Pelino 11-4, 11-5, 11-9.
Ashab completed Pakistan’s 3-0 victory over the Philippines by defeating Jonathan Reyes 11-4, 11-9, 11-4.
The same players later helped Pakistan overcome Kuwait 3-0. Nasir defeated Jassim Alghareeb, Noor beat Ammar Altamimi and Ashab defeated Bader Almoghrebi.
The women’s team, meanwhile, suffered a 3-0 defeat against Hong Kong before responding with a 3-0 victory over Mongolia.
Mehwish Ali, Sana Bahadur and Mahnoor Ali all won their matches against Mongolia in straight games.
Pakistan had entered the team events after securing two bronze medals in the men’s singles competition through Noor Zaman and Ashab Irfan.
Rabia Kabir finishes 33rd in shooting
Pakistan’s Rabia Kabir finished 33rd in the women’s 25-metre pistol qualification with a score of 567-13x.
She did not qualify for the final, which was led by Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan with a score of 587-25x.
Pakistan also finished seventh in the PUBG Mobile Asian Games competition with four points. China topped the completed standings with 20 points, followed by Japan and South Korea.
Arshad Nadeem set for javelin final
Pakistan’s attention now turns to athletics, with Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem scheduled to compete in the men’s javelin final.
Compatriot Mohammad Yasir will also take part in the event, while Ansar Abbas qualified for the men’s long jump final after recording a personal best of 7.28 metres.
Pakistan tennis pairs exit in first round
Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Muzammil Murtaza were eliminated from the men’s doubles event after losing to South Korea’s Seongchan Hong and Soonwoo Kwon 7-5, 6-4.
In the women’s doubles, Ushna Sohail and Mahin Aftab Qureshi also suffered a first-round defeat, losing 6-1, 6-0 to their Mongolian opponents.
Pakistan will now look to build on its performances in volleyball, hockey and squash as the Asian Games competition continues.
