Pakistan ends XIV West Asia Baseball Cup at runner-up spot
Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 1 run to lift the trophy of the 2019 West Asia Baseball Cup which successfully concluded at Japan Friendship Baseball Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The hosts, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were battling for the title victory in the final encounter of 14th West Asia Baseball Cup, which concluded successfully with Sri Lanka taking home the trophy of the championship.
Sri Lankan team dominated the game from the first moment with three runs and two out while Pakistan stayed at the zero score till the 4th inning but after quiet a tough fight between the two teams on the ground, this interesting and thrilling match ended in the ninth and last inning where the final score stood 5-4 which declared the final victory in favor of the host country.
Pakistan now stands at the runner-up spot with losing by just 1 run. Fazal, Sameer Zawar, Arsalan and Faqeer Hussain each scored 1 run for Pakistan. The team presented a brilliant game against Sri Lanka in eight innings out of nine in front of their home crowd, but unfortunately in the first innings 3 runs were hindered by success, while Sri Lanka's 3 incredible catches from deep fielders also made a difference.
However, Pakistan also qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Round along with the winner Sri Lanka. According to Media Coordinator, Pervaiz Ahmed Sheikh, Sri Lanka won the first position, Pakistan finished second, India managed to stand one spot behind at third, Iran claimed fourth position, Bangladesh and Nepal settled for fifth and sixth spots respectively.
Addressing the players and coaches at the end of a tough final, Pakistan team Head Coach, Musaddiq Hanif said,
"The final match was exactly like the final must have been. Our team performed brilliantly. We were only given the opportunity to set up a ten days camp while the Sri Lankan team has been camping under the 2 years coaching plan for the last 6 months. We are satisfied with our performance and will reduce the current deficit in an academy and participate in the Olympic qualifying round to be held at Taiwan in October instant."
The host country, Sri Lanka not only won this year's edition title but also defended it successfully among six other participating West Asian nations which included: Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
