Asian Games: Noor and Ashab take squash bronze as Pakistan's hockey run ends against Malaysia

Pakistan’s squash players Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan have come home from the Asian Games semi-finals with bronze medals, after both lost in straight games in Nagoya on Saturday, on a difficult day that also saw the hockey team’s winning run end against Malaysia.

The two had reached the semi-finals together, the first time since 2002 that two Pakistanis had got that far, guaranteeing Pakistan medals before a ball was struck.

Noor falls to the top seed

Noor, Pakistan’s top-ranked player, faced Malaysia’s top seed Eain Yow Ng at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena. The opening game was tight: the pair were level at 5-5 and Noor moved ahead 7-5, but Ng fought back to take it 11-7 in 14 minutes.

From there, the Malaysian took control. After Noor won the first point of the second game, Ng won ten in a row to close it out 11-2 in just four minutes. He raced ahead in the third as well; Noor saved one match point, but Ng sealed an 11-4 win on his second.

Ashab stopped by India’s Abhay Singh

Ashab, who beat India’s Veer Chotrani in the quarter-finals, met India’s second seed Abhay Singh in the other semi-final. He lost the first game 11-3, pushed Singh much harder in the second before going down 12-10, and lost the third 11-6 as the match ended in 35 minutes.

The two bronze medals are a strong result for Pakistan squash, which had not placed two players in the Asian Games semi-finals for more than two decades.

Hockey: Malaysia end the unbeaten run

Pakistan’s hockey team suffered its first defeat of the Games, losing 5-4 to Malaysia at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium despite a remarkable individual performance from Sufyan Khan, who scored all four Pakistan goals from penalty corners. That took his tally to nine goals in four matches, making him Pakistan’s top scorer at the Games.

The match swung back and forth. Pakistan led in the third minute, but Malaysia replied immediately through Shello Silverius, and Faizal Saari put them ahead from a penalty corner. Sufyan scored twice to put Pakistan back in front before Saari Fitri equalised at the end of the third quarter.

Sufyan restored Pakistan’s lead in the 46th minute, and the Green Shirts had chances to extend it, but Malaysian goalkeeper Zaimi Deris Mat denied both Sufyan and Ghazanfar Ali. Malaysia punished those misses: Silverius levelled again, and Azrai Abu Kamal scored the winner in the 57th minute against the four-time World Cup winners. Pakistan pressed hard in the closing minutes, winning two late penalty corners, but Malaysia held on.

Pakistan play their final pool match against Oman on Monday.

A tough day elsewhere

• Badminton: National champion Mahoor Shahzad lost 21-5, 21-11 to Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani in the women’s singles first round.
• Athletics: Shajar Abbas qualified from his 200m heat but finished seventh in his semi-final in 21.30 seconds. Khoula Omer Khan was eliminated in the women’s 200m first round.
• Boxing: Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Fatima Zehra lost to Tajikistan’s Mijgona Samadova in the women’s 60kg, and Irfan Khan was stopped by South Korea’s Gichae Kim in the men’s 90kg.

Why it matters

Two squash bronzes add to Pakistan’s medal count and confirm the progress of a new generation in a sport the country once dominated. In hockey, one defeat does not end Pakistan’s hopes, but the loss to Malaysia is a reminder that goals from penalty corners alone may not be enough in the knockout rounds. How the team responds against Oman will set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

This article draws on reporting published by Dawn.