CAIRO: Abdullah Nawaz and Anas Ali Shah powered Pakistan into the quarter-finals of the Men’s Team event at the World Junior Squash Championship with a commanding 2-0 win over Poland on Tuesday.
Playing at the Black Ball Club, Abdullah gave Pakistan the perfect start by defeating Jan Samborski 3-1 in the opening match, putting his side firmly in control.
The opening game remained evenly poised at 1-1 after the first two sets before Abdullah staged an astounding comeback, outclassing Samborski 11-8 and 11-2 in subsequent sets.
Anas then represented Pakistan in the second game against Franciszek Michniewicz, who offered a notable fight but ended up losing it by 3-2.
The national player made a triumphant start to the game, clinching the first set 11-7, only for Michniewicz to hit back by winning the next two and move one away from levelling the score for Poland.
Anas, however, displayed nerves of steel and staged a sensational comeback by winning the fourth set and forcing the game into the decider.
In the fifth and final set, Anas bamboozled Michniewicz 11-3 to round up a dominant victory for Pakistan with a game to spare, which was scheduled to be played between Muhammad Umair Arif and Mateusz Ptaszek.
Pakistan will next face England in the quarter-finals of the men’s team competition at the World Junior Squash Championship today.
For the unversed, Pakistan’s journey in the individual competition of the World Junior Squash Championship has already ended following Abdullah Nawaz’s crushing 3-0 defeat against Egypt’s Adam Hawal in the Round of 16.