Pakistan's women's handball team won bronze at the International Handball Federation (IHF) Women's Nations Trophy Asia Zone III in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, The Express Tribune reported.
Key points
- Five-team event ran from October 13 to 17; hosts Uzbekistan won the title
- Pakistan finished with two wins and two defeats
- Captain Sehrish and Misbah earned player-of-the-match awards
Pakistan's campaign
Pakistan started with heavy defeats, losing 38-19 to Turkmenistan on October 13 and 46-8 to Uzbekistan a day later.
They bounced back with a 36-14 win over Tajikistan on October 15, with captain Sehrish named player of the match, and closed with a 33-23 victory over Kyrgyzstan on October 17, when Misbah took the award. Those two wins secured third place.
Final standings
Uzbekistan won all four matches to take the title and also qualified for the Continental Women's Nations Trophy. Turkmenistan finished second with three wins, Kyrgyzstan fourth and Tajikistan fifth.
Federation reaction
Pakistan Handball Federation president Mohammad Shafiq called the result encouraging, noting the team was playing internationally for the first time in seven years after a short training camp and limited facilities. The side last played at the 2019 South Asian Games in Nepal and now competes in the Central Asian zone instead of South Asia.
More on The Express Tribune.