Pakistan off to dismal start in Asian Seniors Volleyball

KARACHI: Pakistan were off to a disappointing start when they lost to Thailand 3-2 in their Group C opener of the 18th Asian Men’s Seniors Volleyball Championship at the Azadi Sports Complex on Friday.
After winning the first two sets convinginly, Pakistan lost the next three sets to waste a good opportunity of taking a solid start to the 16-nation affair.
The score remained 23-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-28 and 15-13 in Thailand’s favour. As per rules, Pakistan got one point because of the tough resistance they showed against their rivals. Pakistan Volleyball Federation’s (PVF) secretary Shahid Kamal said it was unfortunate.
“The team had a good start but unfortunately it could not keep its momentum,” Shahid told ‘The News’.
“Now, we are in difficult situation and the team will have to raise its game if it wants to qualify for the quarter-finals,” Shahid said. Pakistan will now need to win their remaining two matches against Oman and South Korea to comfirm a berth in the quarter-finals league.
On Saturday (today), Pakistan will face Oman who were beaten by South Korea 3-0 in the other match of the group.
In Group A, Chinese Taipei edged Kazakhstan 3-1, while in Group B India crushed Turkmenistan 3-0 and Qatar stunned last event’s runners-up Australia 3-1.