Pakistan clinch South Asian event

Handball team beats Afghanistan to finish first.

KARACHI:

As expected, hosts Pakistan Greens won the South Asian Beach Handball Championship, defeating Afghanistan 2-0 in the final, while Pakistan Whites beat Nepal by a similar scoreline.

Greens, who remained unbeaten in the event, finished as winners followed by Whites in second place. However, the organisers withdrew the Whites’ team as a goodwill gesture, handing Afghanistan second place with Nepal ending in third spot.

Greens dominated the proceedings right from the start as they won the first half 16-11. It was a similar story in the second half as the hosts won 22-7. Hazrat Hussain turned out to be the top scorer with eight points.

Tahar Ameer of Greens was declared the best goal-keeper of the event

Meanwhile, Whites also enjoyed an easy outing against Nepal, winning the first half 16-11. With a five-point lead to their credit, Whites never took the game for granted as they scored 20-14 in the second half to wrap up the match in their favour.

The Championship was played on a league basis and the hosts proved too strong for their opponents throughout the competition.

Pakistan, who are ranked third in Asia, were forced to field two teams at the event after the withdrawal of India at the last minute. The other two teams, Afghanistan and Nepal, are ranked 10th and 13th in Asia respectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2013.