KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia began their campaign in the 2023 Men’s World Team Squash Championship in Tauranga, New Zealand on a winning note after coming from behind to beat Ireland 2-1 in a Group A match today.
It wasn’t the best of starts for Malaysia at the Devoy Squash & Fitness Centre when senior player Muhammad Addeen Idrakie Bahtiar lost 9-11, 4-11, 6-11 to Sam Buckley in the first tie, according to the official tournament website https://wsf.tournamentsoftware.com.
Malaysia, however, bounced back to level the scores at 1-1 through rising star Sanjay Jeeva, who downed Sean Conroy 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 before Ameeshenraj Chandaran sealed the winning point with an 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 triumph over Oisin Logan.
Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) coaching director Major (Rtd) S. Maniam, though happy with the players’ performance, said he would make some changes to the lineup by resting Muhammad Addeen Idrakie and bringing in Hafiz Zhafri as the third player when they take on five-time champions Egypt tomorrow.
“It was an exciting match today. Muhammad Addeen Idrakie was not at his best but he gave everything he had, though it was not enough. Tomorrow, we will rest Muhammad Addeen Idrakie so that he can get a bit of practice and regain his confidence.
“I will field Hafiz Zafri at the number three position. The aim tomorrow is to see how close or how far we are from the world’s best players. We will go there, give it our best and see what we can learn from the match,“ he said in an audio clip shared with the media today.
The championship ends on Sunday (Dec 17).–Bernama
Muhammad Addeen Idrakie Bahtiar (right)–Bernamapix