Pakistan beat Indonesia in handball, kabaddi

KARACHI: Pakistan registered their first win in Asian Games men’s handball event when they defeated hosts Indonesia 28-23 in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Pakistan got a lead late in the first period which ended 12-10 in Pakistan’s favour. Pakistan bounced back from two goals down at 7-9 in the 21st minute to leave the court with a two-goal advantage due to some fine goalkeeping from Tahir Ali and teamwork from the outfield players who produced smart scoring moves.

Muzammil Hussain and Hasrat Hussain played well. Pakistan continued to build on their lead in the second period with some superb game play from Muzammil, who netted eight goals. He also assisted in other goals which extended the lead to 20-15 by the middle of the second period.

The all around performance by the Pakistan team helped them score 16 goals in the second period compared to 13 goals against them. Hasrat scored six goals. Muhammad Zubair and Uzair Atif scored four goals each. Asim Saeed netted two goals. Goalkeeper Tahir saved 13 of the 34 shots on goal.

Meanwhile, in kabbadi, Pakistan defeated Indonesia 40-11 in their Group B match.Pakistan’s shooters failed to qualify for the finals in 50 metre rifle 3-position. In the qualification round, Ghufran Adil secured 14th position with a total score of 1152 points (383 in kneeling, 391 in prone, and 378 in standing) in twelve rounds.

Zeeshan-ul-Shakir stood 25th with a total score of 1132 points (379 in kneeling, 379 in prone, and 374 in standing) in twelve rounds. In weightlifting 62 kilogram category, Pakistan’s Talha Talib secured the seventh position with a score of 287 (133kg in snatch and 154kg in clean and jerk). These are his national records in the two categories, while his total lift of 287kg is also a national record for him.