Bangladesh edge Nepal in volleyball thriller

Hosts Bangladesh recorded a hard-fought 3-2 sets victory over Nepal in their second match of the CAVA (Central Asian Volleyball Association) Cup at the Shaheed Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium in Mirpur on Thursday.

With their second win in as many matches, Bangladesh moved to the top of the six-team table, alongside Turkmenistan, who earlier in the day defeated Sri Lanka 3-1 (25-22, 25-16, 20-25, 25-20). In another fixture, Afghanistan swept past Maldives with a straight-sets win (25-17, 25-20, 25-12).

Fresh from a commanding 3-0 victory over Maldives, Bangladesh made a flying start against Nepal, clinching the first two sets 25-23, 25-20. However, Nepal fought back strongly to claim the next two sets 25-23, 25-16, forcing the contest into a decider.

In a tense fifth set, the men in red and green held their nerve to edge out Nepal 16-14, sealing their second consecutive win and maintaining an unbeaten start to the tournament.