Pakistan win silver medal in SABA Basketball
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan claimed silver medal in the 2nd SABA Basketball Championship.
The tournament concluded in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka Monday night.
According to a press release, hosts Bangladesh finished as the only unbeaten team in the tournament to bag the gold medal. Pakistan won three of their four matches to take second position.
The championship, competed by South Asian teams, was played on round robin basis at Dhaka’s Dhanmondi Basketball Gymnasium. India, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka did not take part in the event.
The national team, coached by Imran Bashir, had absolutely no difficulty in disposing of the challenges of Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan. However, they lost to the hosts in a close fight.
Pakistan kicked off their campaign in impressive fashion, brushing aside Maldives 88-62. The men in green led from start to finish as they completely dominated the proceedings.
Haris Kamal (22), Ahmad Jan (18), Muhammad Akram (17) and captain Prem Shahzad (15) played major roles in the victory.
Pakistan were equally good in the second match against Nepal, which they won 78-67. Taghlab Ammar (23), Muhammad Akram (13) and Prem Shahzad (12) led their team to victory.
Then came the Bangladesh match. Pakistan outscored the hosts 20-17 and 24-19 in the first and third quarters and were just two points behind going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
However, the home team stretched that slim lead to a nine-point advantage by the end of the match. Bangladesh won 77-68.
Ahmad Jan led Pakistan’s charge with 25 points while Prem Shahzad and Muhammad Akram contributed 14 and 13 points respectively.
Pakistan defeated Bhutan 79-63 in their last match to finish the tournament with a 3-1 win-loss record. Khalid Ahmed (17), Prem Shahzad (15) and Taghlab Ammar (12) were their main scorers.
Before the 2nd SABA Championship, the national team last took part in an international basketball tournament in the 2010 South Asian Games, also held in Dhaka.
The South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) organised the second edition of the event after the maiden tournament was held in the Indian state of Assam in 2002. India defeated Bangladesh 139-34 to win the title.
The team will return home on Thursday.
