Pakistan kabaddi team misses first Asian Games semi-final after Iran loss
The side fell 51-30 in its last group match, while the cricket squad departed for Japan targeting a gold medal.
Pakistan's kabaddi team missed out on the Asian Games semi-finals for the first time after Iran defeated it 51-30 in the final group match, UrduPoint reported on Wednesday.
The outlet, whose report carried no further match details, said the loss eliminated Pakistan from contention for a place in the last four at the Games being held in Japan. Pakistan had previously reached the kabaddi semi-finals in every edition it contested, according to the same report's phrasing of a first-time exit.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's white-ball cricket squad departed Karachi for Japan via Dubai, Express News reported. Captain Sahibzada Farhan said the team was targeting a gold medal at the event.
The cricket squad completed a four-day training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre at National Stadium Karachi on Thursday. Five players who had been playing in the Caribbean league (Usman Khan, Saim Ayub, Muaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz and Sufiyan Muqeem) joined the camp on its final day after arriving from Barbados via London on Wednesday.
Fast bowler Mohammad Salman Mirza was ruled out of the Asian Games squad because of a fracture in his left thumb. Mohammad Wasim Junior was added to the 15-member squad as his replacement after special permission, Express News said.
The 15-player squad is led by Sahibzada Farhan with Abdul Samad as vice-captain, and also includes Abrar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan. Support staff includes head coach Mike Hesson, bowling coach Ashley Noffke and fielding coach Shane McDermott.
The men's cricket tournament begins on Friday with six teams in the initial round, four of which will advance to the quarter-finals. Pakistan will play its first quarter-final on 28 September, while defending champions and top seeds India play in the second quarter-final the same day. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are set for the third and fourth quarter-finals on 29 September. The semi-finals are scheduled for 1 October and the gold medal match for 3 October.
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