Another frustrating day for Pakistan in C?wealth Games

GOLD COAST: It was another frustrating day for Pakistan’s sports in general and boxing in particular as the country’s final hopes of lifting a medal in the once stronger discipline were dashed when both its boxers Syed Mohammad Asif and experienced Awais Ali Khan lost their respective quarter-finals of the 21st Commonwealth Games boxing competitions here on Wednesday.In the packed Oxenford Studios, which also has facilities of table tennis and squash, Syed Mohammad Asif was defeated by Mc Fadden Reece of Scotland through a unanimous decision of 5-0. Quetta’s young fighter, who had progressed to the big game after clearing his 52 kilogramme first hurdle the other day, failed to live up to the billing when it mattered most in front of a cheering Pakistani crowd chanting slogans of Asif Hazara, Asif Hazara.Asif did not get advantage of his height and mostly was found playing in the range of the opponent Reece who troubled the Pakistani fighter particularly in the third round. Reece managed a sharp jab in the last moments from a difficult angle which landed straight on the target.“It was unfortunate,” Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) Secretary Nasir Tung told The News after the fight. “I think Asif did not play according to his ability,” the official said.Meanwhile the highly experienced Awais Ali Khan faced a 0-5 defeat at the hands of Plodzicki Faoagali of Samoa in the 81kg quarter-final to end Pakistan’ journey without getting any medal. After former Pakistan’s solid boxer and the former WBC two-time world silver champion Mohammad Waseem turned pro in early 2015 Pakistan fell in trouble as the available stock needs a lot of boost in training to play at this major level. Ali Ahmed (60kg) and Gul Zeb (69kg) were the others who represented Pakistan in Gold Coast event.Meanwhile Pakistan’s national champion Mahoor Shehzad defeated Cristen Marritt of Isle of Man in the women’s singles round of 32 badminton competitions to progress to the pre-quarter-finals here at the Carrara Sports Arena-2. The set score was 21-14, 11-10. Karachi-born shuttler will now face Rachel Honderich of Canada in the pre-quarter-finals on Thursday. However overall it was again the poorest day for Pakistani shuttlers as the country flopped miserably in other events.Former national champion Mohammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti faced elimination when he went 0-2 down against Australia’s Anthony Joe with the set score being 22-20, 21-18 in favour of the host. In the woken’s doubles the pair of Palwasha Bashir and Mahoor tasted a 0-2 defeat against Sri Lanka’s Hindahewa and Kavidi in the round of 32 to face exit. The Sri Lankan’s prevailed with the game score of 21-6, 21-15. Meanwhile it was also the poorest day for Pakistan in table tennis as the country could not manage even a single win in a handful of events.The country’s gutsy peddler Mohammad Rameez, who had topped his qualifying group with two straight victories on Tuesday, was beaten by India’s Sathiyan Gnasekaran 11-5, 11-3, 11-4, 11-3 to end his journey in the round of 32.Earlier in the day Fahad Khawaja and Hareem Anwar lost their mixed doubles round of 64 game against Canada’s pair of Bernadet Antoine and Yeung Justina with the game score being 21-7, 21-6, 21-6. In the same event’s round of 64, the pair of Rameez and Fatima Khan were undone by Taucoory and Elodie of Mauritius with the game score of 21-4, 21-9, 21-7.Meanwhile in the women’s doubles round of 32 the pair of Hareem Anwar and Fatima Khan went 0-3 down against Ho Ying and Lyne Karen of Malaysia in the round of 32 with the set scores of 21-7, 21-4, 21-4.In Belmont Shooting Centre in Brisbane, Pakistani shooter Aamir Iqbal finished fifth out of six contestants in the men’s double trap finals. Earlier in the day in the qualification stage of the same event, which carried 27 shooters, Aamir scored 132 to make it to the finals.In the same event’s qualification phase Mohammad Farrukh Nadeem ended 14th with a score of 122.In the squash arena of the Oxenford Studios, national squash players also failed miserably as they snatched only a single win in a handful of events they took part.The only win came in the mixed doubles when the pair of Madina Zafar and Tayyab Aslam got the better of Fung A Fat Mary and Jason Roy Khalil of Guyana 2-0 with the game score being 11-6, 11-9.In the women’s doubles Group C Pakistan’s Faiza Zafar and Madina Zafar lost 0-2 to Kellas and Colette of Malta.In the mixed doubles Group D Pakistani pair of Faiza Zafar and Farhan Zaman were defeated by Australia’s Pilley Cameron and Donna 2-0.In the women’s doubles Group C Wales’ pair of Evans Tesni and Deon Saffery prevailed over Faiza and Madina 2-0.Similarly, Pakistan’s leading players Farhan Zaman and Tayyab Aslam went 0-2 down against England’s pair of James Declan and Willstrop James 2-0.

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