Pakistan play warm-up game with Indonesia

KARACHI: As Japan volleyball team got late in reaching Indonesia, Pakistan fixed a practice game with hosts Indonesia on Saturday (today) ahead of the Asian Volleyball Championship which begins in Surabaya on Monday.

“Japan were busy in the World Championship qualifying round in Australia and have not yet reached here. So we have decided to play a game with Indonesia,” Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob told ‘The News’ from Surabaya on Friday.

Pakistan had requested Japan for a couple of warm-up matches ahead of the continental event. Pakistan reached Indonesia on Thursday after appearing in a three-nation international friendly event in Doha, involving Qatar and Oman. Pakistan beat Oman but lost to Qatar in the competitions. In the 16-team Asian Championship, Pakistan have been clubbed in Group B with last edition’s runners-up Iran, Chinese Taipei and Iraq. Pakistan finished tenth in the last edition.