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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan secured their first silver medal of the 20th Asian Games in the squash team event on Friday, but a string of missed opportunities left the country still searching for its first gold as the Games entered a decisive phase in Aichi-Nagoya.
The focus now shifts to Saturday’s much-anticipated cricket final between Pakistan and arch-rivals India, with the Greenshirts hoping to turn their strong campaign into a gold-medal triumph at the Korogi Athletics Park.
Pakistan’s squash team came agonisingly close to gold before Malaysia prevailed in a fiercely contested final. The Greenshirts had reached the title clash after defeating Hong Kong China, but Malaysia produced a determined performance to deny Pakistan at the final hurdle.
Pakistan suffered an early setback when Nasir Iqbal, despite enjoying a higher PSA ranking than his Malaysian opponent, Chandran, failed to impose himself on the contest. Chandran raised his level considerably to defeat Nasir 8-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-4.
With Pakistan facing a must-win situation, Noor Zaman carried the responsibility of keeping the gold-medal hopes alive. He battled hard against Malaysia’s Eain Yow and appeared to be gaining the upper hand after levelling the match at 2-2.
Noor also moved into a promising position in the deciding game, raising hopes of taking the contest into the third match, where Pakistan had Ashab Irfan waiting. Ashab, with a significantly better ranking than Malaysia’s third player, would have entered that decisive encounter with confidence
However, the momentum slipped away at a crucial stage. A disagreement with the referee appeared to unsettle Noor, who was penalised with a point following his protest. The disruption affected his concentration and Malaysia capitalised, winning the deciding game 11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5 to seal the gold.
Pakistan had to settle for silver, nevertheless marking their first medal of the Asian Games.The disappointment in squash was followed by another setback in men’s volleyball, where Asian No. 1 Iran proved too strong for Pakistan in the semi-final
Pakistan, who had produced an impressive run to reach the last four, could not reproduce their best form against the powerful Iranians, losing 25-13, 25-15, 25-11.The Greenshirts struggled particularly with reception and blocking, leaving gaps which Iran exploited repeatedly. Pakistan were unable to establish any sustained pressure and Iran closed out the match in straight sets.
Iran will meet hosts Japan in the final after Japan edged China in a thrilling five-set semi-final.Pakistan will now face China in Saturday’s bronze-medal match, with a historic opportunity to claim their first-ever Asian Games medal in volleyball.
Pakistan’s hockey team will also be fighting for a place on the podium on Saturday when they meet South Korea in the bronze-medal match.Pakistan had been forced into the semi-final against India after Malaysia upset the Greenshirts in their pool match and finished at the top of Pool B. India then defeated Pakistan in the semi-final to book their place in the title clash against Malaysia.
The hockey bronze-medal match therefore provides Pakistan with another opportunity to finish the competition with a medal.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s cricket team will carry perhaps the biggest medal hopes into Saturday’s programme when they take on India for gold.
India enter the final as the higher-ranked and top-seeded side, but Pakistan’s new-look team has shown enough during the tournament to suggest that they can challenge their traditional rivals if they perform to their full potential.
