Australia beat Pakistan spikers in Iran

ISLAMABAD: Australia defeated Pakistan in a five-set thriller in the Asia Oceania Volleyball Championship match in Iran on Thursday.

The match that could have gone either way saw Australia winning by narrow margins of 21-25, 21-25, 25-18, 25-14, 15-13.

Leading player Asif was suffering from back injury while Kashif was seen at his best as a setter.

Earlier on Wednesday, Pakistan also lost a close match against Chinese Taipei 23-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-18, 15-11. After top performances in the championship, Iran, Japan and Australia have qualified for the World Nations League. The rest of the countries include Russia, USA, Brazil, Italy and Poland.