Pakistan Table Tennis Team To Visit China

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Mar 28 (PNS) - Pakistan's national table tennis team has been invited for a month-long tour of China.

The invitation was extended on the conclusion of Chinese table tennis team's tour to this country, that concluded at Abbottabad late Thursday night.

China won all the three Tests, involving both boys and girls, of this friendly table tennis series. Pakistan's leading table tennis player Farjad Saif said The players were uptset at the postponement of 14-discipline South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in the wake of war in Iraq. "But the tour to China will help lift the Pakistani players spirits and also enable them gain much-needed experience", he added.

The first two Tests of the Sino-Pak table tennis series, played at Islamabad and Lahore respectively, as well as the final one at Abbotabad, were easily won by the visitors.

The series was arranged as part of Pakistan table tennis team's preparations for the now-postponed SAF Games and was another testimony to ever-lasting Sino-Pak friendship. China, the no.1 table tennis-playing nation in the world, made a clean-sweep of three matches each played in the boys and girls categories in the last Test of the series.

In the first girls match, Wu Xiqo beat Louzia of Pakistan 11-3, 11-3, 10-4 by playing powerful shots. Yao Yao had the better of Shabnum Bilal 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 while in the last ladies match Zhang Nan beat Tayyaba Gill 12-10, 11-3, 8-11, 11-8.

Gao Ntuq won 11-6, 11-9, 11-5 against Pakistani top-seed Farjad Saif at the start of boys' competitions while Jie Jian Wei defeated Kashif Razzaq 5-11,12-10, 11-8, 11-4.

Zhao Shao downed Ali Faisal 3-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4. Later talking with news correspondents, the Chinese players thanked Pakistanis for their overwhelming hospitality.They said they were impressed with Pakistan culture and felt at ease amongst sincere pakistani community. They said they found the conditions in this country Peaceful and reasurring.

The End.