Pakistan set up volleyball final with Turkmenistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan continued their winning run at the Central Asian Volleyball Championship on Thursday, defeating Iran to set up a title clash with Turkmenis­tan.

The hosts, who have remained unbeaten throughout, tested their bench strength against Iran to win 25-18, 23-25, 25-16, 25-20.

“In this championship, we defeated all participating teams, which is very special for us,” a jubilant Pakistan skipper Murad Jehan said, looking ahead to Friday’s final.

“Now were are looking ahead to the final. We are not taking Tajikistan lightly and will go with full strength to secure victory. I’m confident we will be able to win.

“Today, I, along with vice-captain Kashif Naveed, Murad Junior, Nasir Ali, and Zaheer Jutt, opted to give maximum chance to our bench strength, and they played brilliantly. This is good for the team.

Turkmenistan advanced after dominating Sri Lanka 25-22, 25-19, and 25-19.

Earlier, Kyrgyzstan defeated Afghanistan in straight sets 25-20, 25-20, and 25-19. Kyrgyzstan will face Sri Lanka in the third position match.