Asian Games Medal Tally: Historic hockey, wrestling golds power India into top 5

Pakistan secured the silver medal in the men's squash team event at the Asian Games after narrowly losing to Malaysia in the final at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena. The Malaysian team emerged victorious with a 2-0 scoreline, marking their second consecutive silver medal in the event. This accomplishment comes after Pakistan had previously finished as runners-up to India at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The result also indicates that Pakistan's quest for another men's team squash gold medal remains unfulfilled, as their last title was won in 2010 when they defeated Malaysia 2-0 in Guangzhou. Nasir Iqbal opened the final against Ameeshenraj Chandaran with a strong start, leading 6-1 in the first game. Chandaran put up a fight, narrowing the gap, but Nasir maintained his lead, ending the opener 11-8.

The Malaysian team responded strongly in the second game, winning six consecutive points after a 4-2 lead, ultimately securing a 11-3 victory. The third game remained competitive until a 6-6 tie, but Chandaran then won four consecutive points and completed the comeback with an 11-6 victory, giving Malaysia a 1-0 lead in the tie.

Pakistan then relied on Noor Zaman to match Ng, who had already defeated Noor in the individual singles semifinal and went on to win the gold medal. In the fifth game, Ng dominated early, taking a 5-0 lead before winning 11-4 in just five minutes, securing Malaysia's gold medal. With Malaysia already leading 2-0, Pakistan did not need to field their third player, Mohammed Ashab Irfan, who had also won a bronze medal in the individual singles event.