Pakistan thrash Maldives to reach Asian Youth Girls Netball semifinal

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan secured their place in the semifinal stage of the Asian Youth Girls Netball Championship 2025 after defeating Maldives 49-39 in their fifth and final group match at the Jeonju Hwasan Gymnasium, Jeonju-si, South Korea on Tuesday.

In a tightly contested match, Pakistan came from behind to seal the victory with strong performances from Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Sumayya Kouser, Haleema, Jasmine Farooq, and Farah Rasheed.

The match progressed with the following quarter-wise results:

• 1st Quarter: Pakistan 14 – Maldives 12
• 2nd Quarter: Pakistan 24 – Maldives 26
• 3rd Quarter: Pakistan 35 – Maldives 32
• 4th Quarter: Pakistan 49 – Maldives 39

Chairman of the PNF Mudassar Arain, President Sameen Malik, and Secretary General Muhammad Riaz congratulated the national team for their hard-fought victory and unbeaten run in the group stage.

With five consecutive wins, Pakistan topped Pool-B with 10 points.

According to the new format introduced by Netball Asia, semifinals will be contested between the top four teams of both divisions—Group A (Gold Cup Division) and Group B (Plate Cup Division)—with cross-group matchups: 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd.

Pakistan will face Japan again in the semi-final of the Plate Cup Division on Thursday, July 3.

The championship, being played under the aegis of the Asian Netball Federation, features eleven teams divided into two groups. Group A includes Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and India, while Group B comprises Pakistan, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, Maldives and Saudi Arabia.

The tournament runs from June 27 to July 4.