NAGOYA: Pakistan began its Asian Games 2026 campaign with a winning note on Sunday, Sept. 27, beating Kazakhstan 3-1 in men’s volleyball while Noor Zaman defeated fellow Pakistani Mohammad Ashab Irfan to secure a bronze medal in men’s squash.
Zaman dominated Irfan 3-0 in the third-place playoff at Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, finishing the match in just 26 minutes with scores of 11-7, 11-7, 13-11.
The victory gave Zaman a strong response after his semifinal loss to defending champion Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia. Zaman quickly took control of the match, winning the first game 11-7 in eight minutes. He repeated the score in the second game, finishing it in just six minutes.
Irfan fought back in the third game and pushed Zaman to the limit. But Zaman stayed composed and closed out the game 13-11 to claim the bronze medal. Earlier, Pakistan's men's volleyball team also made a strong start, defeating Kazakhstan 25-16, 25-22, 17-25, 25-20 in Pool A at Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium.
Pakistan took the first two sets before Kazakhstan responded in the third. The Pakistani team regained its momentum in the fourth set and sealed the match in four sets.
Murad Khan led Pakistan with 21 points, including 17 successful spikes and four blocks. Usman Faryad Ali added 14 points, while Jehan Murad scored 11 and Musawer Khan contributed nine.
Pakistan's attack made the difference. The team converted 55 of 114 spike attempts, compared with 48 successful spikes from 113 attempts by Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan had the advantage in blocks, 10-7, but Pakistan's stronger attacking performance helped it secure the victory.
Pakistan will face Uzbekistan on Monday, Sept. 28, before playing host Japan in its final Pool A match. Pakistan remained 33rd in the overall medal standings with four bronze medals.
China led the standings with 119 gold, 48 silver and 38 bronze medals for 205 medals overall. Japan was second with 37 gold, 62 silver and 58 bronze medals, while South Korea was third with 21 gold, 23 silver and 39 bronze medals.
