Pakistan Continue Strong Asian Games Run in Hockey and Squash as Kabaddi Campaign Ends

NAGOYA, Sept. 24, 2026 — Pakistan enjoyed another productive day at the Asian Games on Thursday as the hockey and squash teams extended their winning runs, while the national kabaddi campaign came to an end with a heavy defeat to Iran.

Pakistan’s hockey team maintained its perfect record in Pool B with a 3 0 victory over China at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium, securing a third consecutive win.

China created several opportunities early in the match but failed to convert two penalty corners. Pakistan also missed chances from its own penalty corners before eventually taking control in the second quarter.

Abu Mahmood opened the scoring from a penalty after Pakistan were awarded a spot chance. Sufyan Khan doubled the advantage five minutes later with a successful penalty corner.

Hannan Shahid then added a third goal from open play two minutes before half time, putting Pakistan firmly in control.

Neither side managed to score after the interval despite creating opportunities at both ends, allowing Pakistan to secure another clean sheet and three more points.

Sufyan Khan has now scored five goals in three matches, all coming from penalty corners. Pakistan will next face Malaysia in their Pool B fixture on Saturday.

Pakistan also enjoyed strong results in squash, with Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan advancing to the quarter finals in the men’s singles competition.

Third seed Noor produced a dominant performance against Kuwait’s Ammar Altamimi, winning 11 4, 11 9, 11 4 in just 26 minutes.

Ashab also advanced comfortably, defeating Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Al Alnafsan 11 9, 11 3, 11 5 in 36 minutes.

Noor, Pakistan’s highest ranked player in the competition, will meet Hong Kong’s Chi Hin Henry Leung in the quarter finals on Friday.

Ashab, ranked 49th in the Professional Squash Association standings, will face India’s Veer Chotrani for a place in the semi finals.

Pakistan also progressed in mixed doubles after Asim Khan and Mehwish Ali recovered from a slow start to defeat Japan’s Naoki Hayashi and Erisa Sano.

The Pakistani pair lost the opening game 11 8 but responded strongly to win the second 11 10 before taking the deciding game 11 4. The match lasted 39 minutes.

However, Pakistan’s other mixed doubles pairing of Nasir Iqbal and Sehrish Ali was eliminated in the last 16 after losing 11 2, 11 6 to Hong Kong’s Ming Hong Tang and Ka Yi Lee.

The kabaddi team suffered a disappointing end to its campaign, losing 51 30 to Iran in its final Group B match at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium.

Iran led 20 14 at half time before pulling further away after the break, scoring 31 points to Pakistan’s 16 in the second half.

The statistics reflected Iran’s control of the contest. Iran recorded 41 outs, eight all out points and two bonus points, while Pakistan managed 23 outs, four bonus points and three super tackle points.

Pakistan had started the competition strongly with victories over Malaysia and Nepal but ultimately finished the group stage with two wins and two defeats.

Iran and Thailand advanced to the semi finals from Group B, while India and Chinese Taipei progressed from Group A.

Pakistan also suffered setbacks in boxing, athletics and swimming.

Maria Rind was eliminated from the women’s 51 kilogram boxing competition after Mongolia’s Yesugen Oyuntsetseg stopped her at 31 seconds of the third round.

Rind was knocked down once in the second round before suffering two further knockdowns in the third. The referee then halted the contest. She was behind on all five judges’ scorecards after two rounds.

In athletics, national champion Faiqa Riaz failed to advance from her women’s sprint heat after finishing fifth in 11.96 seconds. She missed a place in the semi finals by 0.48 seconds.

Swimming also produced disappointing results for Pakistan. Mishael Aisha Hayat Ayub finished third in her 50 metre freestyle heat in 30.04 seconds and ended the competition 30th among 35 swimmers.

Hamza Asif was also unable to progress, finishing last in his 50 metre butterfly heat in 26.37 seconds. He placed 36th overall among 44 competitors.

Pakistan’s fencing campaign suffered another difficult day as Mohammad Waqas and Abdul Musawir were unable to record a victory in the men’s individual epee competition.

Both fencers lost all six of their pool bouts, ending their individual campaigns without advancing to the next stage.

Table tennis also brought further disappointment, with Mohammad Khan and Taha Bilal both suffering straight game defeats.

Mohammad lost 4 0 to Thailand’s Thitaphat Preechayan, while Taha was beaten by Bahrain’s Rashed Rashed by the same score.

In rowing, Pakistan’s Asad Iqbal finished second in Final B at the Nagaragawa International Regatta Course. He completed the race in 7 minutes and 6.72 seconds behind India’s Ajay Tyagi, leaving him eighth overall.

With several competitions still underway, Pakistan will look to build on its strong performances in hockey and squash while seeking further success across the remaining events of the Asian Games.

Courtesy: dawn