Pakistan secures at least Asian Games squash silver — Dawn

Pakistan’s men’s squash team defeated Hong Kong 2:1 in the Asian Games semifinal at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena in Nagoya. The team advanced to the final and has already guaranteed itself at least a silver medal, Dawn reports.

Iqbal’s decisive victory

In the opening match, Pakistan’s Noor Zaman lost to Tsz Kwan Lau 1:3 in games (12:10, 3:11, 6:11, 5:11), putting Hong Kong ahead in the tie. Mohammad Ashab Irfan levelled the score by beating Chi Hin Henry Leung 3:0. The second game was especially tense, as Irfan recovered from 0:6 to win 13:11, saving four game balls from his opponent.

Nasir Iqbal decided the semifinal in his match against Cheuk Nam Lai. Iqbal lost the first game 10:12 but then won the next three — 11:3, 11:9, 14:12. In the fourth game, he converted his second match ball after his opponent levelled the score at 10:10 and had two game balls.

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Chance for first gold since 2010

In the final, Pakistan will face the winner of the other semifinal between India and Malaysia. A gold medal would be the Pakistani team’s first Asian Games title in team squash since 2010, when it defeated Malaysia 2:0 in the final in Guangzhou.

Pakistani shooter Ghulam Mustafa Bashir also won bronze in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event. He placed sixth in qualification with 578 points and 19 inner tens before finishing third in the final.