Pakistan volleyball captain criticises Asian Games logistics after another win; hockey side thrash Oman

AI Summary

Pakistan’s volleyball captain Murad Jehan criticized Asian Games logistics after his team’s bus took them to the wrong venue in Japan, though Pakistan defeated Uzbekistan in straight sets. Pakistan’s hockey team beat Oman 7-2 to finish its pool campaign strongly and keep its medal hopes alive.

Pakistan volleyball captain Murad Jehan criticised the organisers of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday after his team were taken to the wrong venue shortly before their Pool ‘A’ match against Uzbekistan, while Pakistan’s hockey side finished their pool campaign with a commanding 7-2 victory over Oman. The volleyball team were taken to the wrong gymnasium by their bus driver, leaving the players with little time to warm up before the match. In a video posted on Instagram, a visibly frustrated Murad described the episode as “another mismanagement” and said players had been forced to change into their playing kits on the moving bus. “We have a very important match and the bus driver doesn’t know which gymnasium we are going to play,” he said. “He took a wrong way and came to a wrong gymnasium and now we are short of time. It’s an embarrassing situation.” Murad said the team had not expected such problems in Japan and added that food was also not always available at dining areas after training sessions. “This is not the only mismanagement that athletes are facing here,” he said. The organisers did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Pakistan, however, brushed aside the disruption to secure their second successive victory, defeating Uzbekistan 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium. Murad led Pakistan’s scoring with 14 points, while Musawer Khan contributed 13, Usman Faryad Ali 10 and Mohammad Hamad 11. Pakistan produced 48 successful spikes and dominated at the net, scoring 18 points from blocks compared to Uzbekistan’s five. The victory followed Sunday’s 3-1 win over Kazakhstan and leaves Pakistan with two victories from two matches ahead of their final Pool A game against hosts Japan. Complaints about logistics have been a recurring feature of the Games, with the chief organiser apologising on Saturday for widespread operational glitches. He attributed the problems to a late influx of around 2,000 additional athletes and team officials, which had overwhelmed preparations. Hockey side finish strongly Pakistan completed their Asian Games hockey pool campaign with a commanding 7-2 victory over Oman, recovering from their defeat by Malaysia to finish the group stage strongly and keep their medal hopes alive. Sufyan Khan scored twice from penalty corners, while Rana Waheed completed a hat-trick as Pakistan dominated Oman at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. Ghazanfar Ali and Ammad Butt were also on target as Pakistan led 2-0 after the first quarter and extended their advantage to 5-1 by half-time. Sufyan opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and doubled the lead six minutes later before Waheed made it 3-0 in the 34th. Ghazanfar added another in the 40th minute and Waheed struck again four minutes later to give Pakistan a four-goal cushion at the interval. Oman reduced the deficit through Al Baraa Al Nofli in the 27th minute and Aiman Madit in the 36th, but Pakistan remained in control. Ammad scored in the 46th before Waheed completed his hat-trick in the 59th minute. Pakistan had earlier beaten Thailand 9-0, Uzbekistan 5-1 and China 3-0 before suffering their only defeat, a 5-4 loss to Malaysia. Monday’s victory took their pool-stage record to four wins from five matches. The top two teams from each pool advance to the semi-finals, with the last-four matches scheduled for Oct 1. Squash teams open with wins Pakistan’s squash teams also made winning starts to their respective pool campaigns. The men’s team defeated the Philippines 3-0, with Nasir Iqbal beating Van Aero Dalida 11-7, 11-1, 11-4. The women’s team, meanwhile, recovered from a 3-0 defeat by Hong Kong in their opening tie to beat Mongolia 3-0. Mehwish Ali defeated Khongorzul Bat-Erdene 11-3, 11-2, 11-3 in the opening match. Pakistan had entered the team events after winning two bronze medals in the men’s singles through Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan. Noor beat Ashab 3-0 in the third-place playoff on Sunday, with the two players sharing the bronze medals after losing their respective semi-finals. Rabia finishes 33rd in pistol There was little joy for Pakistan in shooting as Rabia Kabir finished 33rd in the women’s 25m pistol qualification with a score of 567-13x. Ayesha was unable to progress to the final, which was led by Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan with 587-25x. Pakistan also finished seventh in the PUBG Mobile Asian Games competition, accumulating four points in the completed results. China won the event with 20 points, ahead of Japan and South Korea. Pakistan’s attention now turns to athletics, with Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem set to compete in the men’s javelin final alongside compatriot Mohammad Yasir. Ansar Abbas will also contest the men’s long jump final after qualifying with a personal-best 7.28 metres.