ALMATY (Kazakhstan): Pakistan beat Kyrgizstan 82-0 in the semifinal of Asian Div III Rugby Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan to qualify for the final where they will meet host Kazakhstan who beat Magnolia 55-6 in the second semifinal.

According to the information provided by Pakistan Rugby Union officials present in Almaty, Pakistan team, playing their first international match in almost three years, played very different but aggressive game to rout the opponents by their skill, technique and speed.

From the start, the Pakistani players dominated the game and finished the half at 45-0. In the second half Pakistan players came even more strongly won the match 55-6, thanks mainly to Ali Khan and Shoaib Akbar who both scored three tries each. Saad Arif and Adnan Saeed scored two tries each.

Pakistan team head coach Shakeel Ahmed Malik, while speaking on phone, praised the that team for its superb show. “We lack international exposure as not many tours come our way. And yet the boys really worked hard and came back strongly to win against Kyrgizstan,” he said.

“Now we face Kazakhstan in the final which is a very strong team. They have some fine senior players,” he added. “I hope boys display the same standard of game in the final.”

Chairman of the Pakistan Rugby Union Fawzi Khawaja was also delighted with the win that came after three years for Pakistan. “The team played like a good unit and this augurs well for the final. Kazakhstan is a strong team but we hope to beat them and win the championship tomorrow,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2018