Pakistan’s men were crowned champions at the Asian Team Squash Championship on Saturday, beating South Korea 2-0 in the final in Islamabad to claim their 16th men’s Asian team title and their first since 2016.
Noor Zaman set the tone at the Mushaf Squash Complex, beating Jeongmin Ryu 11-5, 11-7, 13-11, before Mohammad Asim Khan wrapped up the title with an 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 win over Seojin Oh. Both rubbers were won in straight games, so the deciding third match was not needed and the home crowd could start celebrating early.
Straight Games Seal the Asian Team Squash Championship Final
The closest moment of the final came in the third game of the opening rubber, when Ryu pushed Zaman to 13-11, but the Pakistani number one held his nerve to close it out. Asim Khan was never in trouble in the second rubber, controlling the rallies from the first point and finishing the job in three quick games. It was a final won without dropping a game, by a pair playing in front of their own supporters.
Pakistan had reached the final by beating Hong Kong, China 2-0 in the semi-final, while South Korea came through a much tougher 2-1 win over Malaysia, the defending champions. The men’s medals were completed by Hong Kong, China and Malaysia, who shared the bronze.
There was a family thread running through the triumph. Zaman’s grandfather is Qamar Zaman, one of the legends who built Pakistan’s squash dynasty in the 1970s, and the former champion was at the Mushaf Squash Complex to watch his grandson lift the continental crown in the same city where the family name became famous.
Championship medals at the closing ceremony of the 23rd Asian Team Squash Championships in Islamabad
Photo: Pakistan Squash Federation
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A Landmark Week for the Sport in Pakistan
The final brought down the curtain on a landmark week. As we reported when the championships began, Pakistan hosted the Asian teams in Islamabad with its men’s side among the favourites for gold, and the hosts delivered on that promise on the final day. The event was organised by the Pakistan Squash Federation, whose president, Air Marshal Kazim Hammad, led the hosts through the week.
In the women’s event, Hong Kong, China beat Malaysia 2-1 to take the title, with Iran and South Korea collecting the bronze medals. Pakistan’s women finished their campaign with a 0-3 loss to South Korea on finals day, as Dami Kim beat Sehrish Ali, Mingyeong Heo beat Sana Bahadar and Hwayeong Eum beat Mahnoor Ali. The results underlined the gap the women’s squad still has to close, but reaching the closing day of a home Asian championship gave a young team exactly the experience it needs.
The closing ceremony carried a strong sense of history. Legends Gogi Alauddin, Qamar Zaman and Jansher Khan were among the guests as the medals were presented, and Adil Jassim AlGhareeb, a vice president of the Asian Squash Federation, was the chief guest.
Why This Title Matters
Pakistan once ruled world squash through the era of Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan, when the sport’s biggest trophies seemed to live permanently in Peshawar and Karachi. Those days built a record of 16 continental team titles, but the most recent of them had come a full decade ago. Winning the Asian Team Squash Championship at home, in straight games, with a young pair, is the clearest sign yet that the long rebuilding of Pakistani squash is producing results.
For followers keeping score, this was also a title won the way the great Pakistani teams used to win them: the number one set the tone, the second rubber never wavered, and the trophy was decided before the third match was required. More results like it are collected on our Pakistan Sports Good News page.
Sources
- Pakistan Squash Federation, champions report
- Pakistan TV
- Featured image: Pakistan’s men’s team with their gold medals and the trophy on the podium at the 23rd Asian Team Squash Championships in Islamabad (Pakistan Squash Federation)
- In-body image: The gold, silver and bronze medals of the 23rd Asian Team Squash Championships laid out on a tray at the closing ceremony in Islamabad (Pakistan Squash Federation)
Umar Farooq is the founder and editor of Good News Pakistan. An engineer by profession and a writer by passion, he started the site in December 2022 to share good news from Pakistan, and has since written and edited more than 200 articles about its people, sports, science, business and world records. He believes the story of Pakistan is bigger than its headlines, and that good news, told honestly, is worth telling every day.