Kuching, Malaysia, June 26, 2025: Pakistan clinched the silver medal in the Asian Doubles Squash Championship after a hard-fought final against arch-rivals India in Malaysia on Thursday.
The Pakistani pair of Noor Zaman and Nasir Iqbal put up a spirited performance but were edged out by India’s defending champions Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar, who secured the gold with a 9-11, 11-5, 11-5 win. The thrilling final lasted one hour and 27 minutes.
Despite the loss, Zaman and Iqbal’s journey to the final was marked by impressive victories. In the semifinals, they defeated host nation Malaysia’s duo of Syafiq Kamal and Duncan Lee in a nail-biting three-game contest: 10-11, 11-9, 11-9.
In the quarterfinals, the Pakistani team overcame Korea’s Jiang Min Ryu and Jaijin Yoo in another tight match, winning 11-3, 5-11, 11-4.
The pair had also performed strongly in the group stage, beating Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu-Wei and Chen Ching-Fu 11-2, 11-9 in just 11 minutes, after earlier victories over the Philippines (11-7, 11-4) and South Korea.
Seeded second in the tournament, Pakistan’s consistent form throughout the championship was commendable, making their silver-medal finish a proud moment for the nation.
Individually, Noor Zaman recently competed in the Asian Individual Squash Championship, where he exited in the pre-quarterfinals after a grueling five-game encounter with Malaysia’s Joachim Chuah, battling through a back spasm before narrowly losing 3-2.
The silver medal marks another strong international showing for Pakistan squash and highlights the resurgence of promising talent on the regional stage.
