Pakistan dumped out of world squash event

Denmark outplay team 2-1 to advance into knockout round with Malaysia.

KARACHI: Pakistan crashed out of the World Men’s Team Squash Championship when they lost to Denmark 2-1 in their group match in Germany.

Malaysia and Denmark, the top two teams from the group, have progressed to the knockout stage of the tournament that is scheduled to start from today.

The first match of the tie saw Yasir Butt taking an hour to overcome Rasmus Nielsen 2-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-9. Nielsen won the first game comfortably before Butt staged a comeback, winning the next game in a convincing fashion. However, the encounter saw a lively battle take place between the two players in the final two games, before Butt was able to seal the tie.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Waqar Mehboob failed to win against the more experienced Morten Sorensen after making a bright beginning in the match. Sorensen won 3-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8. After taking the opening two games, Mehboob seemed to lose his focus as Sorensen made the most of his young opponent’s inexperience to win the following three games in convincing fashion.

With the encounter tied at 1-1, Pakistan’s progress hinged on world number 23 Aamir Atlas outplaying his rival in the final encounter. However, the Pakistan number one could not save his team from elimination as he lost his tie against Kristian Frost Olesen, who won 11-2, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9.

Olsen, who is ranked 65 in the world, outclassed Atlas in just 34 minutes despite suffering a brief hiccup when he lost the second game.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th,  2011.