ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s baseball team on Wednesday defeated Palestine in the final to be crowned the winners of the West Asia Cup 2023, with Sri Lanka finishing in third place.
The seven-nation event, organized by the Pakistan Baseball Federation (PBF), was held at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad from January 27 till February 1. Apart from the host Pakistan, teams from Palestine, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Afghanistan are participating in the event.
Pakistan, who reached the final of the tournament after emphatically defeating Sri Lanka 16-1, once again put up an impressive performance in the final against Palestine, ,defeating the Middle East team 11-3 to clinch the trophy.
Pakistan the new West Asia Cup baseball Champ,” the Pakistan Federation Baseball wrote on Twitter. “Team Palestine wins the hearts of the people with their outstanding display.”
According to the PBF, pitchers Amjad Hussain and Muhammad Zohaib fared impressively against Palestine in the final.
Palestine, who qualified for Wednesday’s final after defeating Bangladesh 14-3 in the other semifinal, lost out to Sri Lanka who finished with the bronze medal.
The PBF partnered with Baseball United, first-ever professional baseball league that helps develop the game across the Middle East and South Asia, to host the West Asia Cup, an official World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) tournament.