ISLAMABAD: Pakistan opened their campaign in the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Men’s Volleyball Championship with a convincing straight-sets victory over Sri Lanka at the Liaquat Gymnasium of the Pakistan Sports Complex on Wednesday.

Backed by the home crowd, Pakistan dominated from the outset, combining excellent serving with aggressive attacking, disciplined blocking and effective teamwork to seal a 25-16, 25-15, 25-18 victory.

The win gave Pakistan a perfect start to their campaign and valuable points in the round-robin competition.

Earlier, Kazakhstan defeated Nepal 3-2 in a five-set thriller. After taking a comfortable two-set lead, Kazakhstan were pegged back by a spirited Nepal comeback before prevailing 25-19, 25-21, 32-34, 19-25, 15-9 in the deciding set.

Bangladesh also needed five sets to overcome Uzbekistan. After an evenly contested match featuring strong attacking play and resolute defence from both sides, Bangladesh held their nerve in the decider to secure a 25-20, 26-28, 26-24, 21-25, 15-12 victory.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026