Nicol tames Jansher in final

In front of a packed house at the Cricket Club of India, the victory was double sweet for the Scot as he not only collected a pay cheque $16,625, but also has a very good chance of taking over from the mercurial Pakistani as the number one player in the world when the new Professional Squash Association (PSA) world rankings come out in January next year.

Nicol is perhaps the greatest heat sink ever discovered in this part of the world. The man is a monster, who thrives in heat and humidity. The moment he came back from 5-8 down to win the fourth game and push the match to the decider, there was no doubt who would hold the trophy aloft. While Nicol was moving like a gazelle, Khan received a conduct warning for delaying tactics. He simply gave up after Nicol went 10-5 up in the full game.

At the end of the match, Nicol who won the Hartford Open, Al-Ahram Open and Kuwait Open titles this year, described this as the best win of them all. "It is always the last one for me," said the man who obviously doesn’t like resting on his past laurels.

Khan paid compliments to the fitness of his opponent after the match. "I think he played very well. He is a very good runner and very fit. That made the difference."

"There is something here that makes me click. Yes, apart from the World Open, I’d also like to win the British Open, the two events I lost this year in final," said Nicol who added that he would gladly accept a honorary citizenship of Mumbai, if offered.

Both the players played to their strengths in the earlier part of the match. In Khan’s books, the "T" area perhaps stands for territory. He never relinquished that vital centre spot of the court and his excellent court-coverage meant that Nicol did all the running. It was fine with Nicol, who is without doubt retriever in the game. But Khan also blocked the free movement of Nicol and upset his rhythm. So frustrated was the Scot, that he complained loudly: "I want to play squash."

Khan also showed down the pace of the game immensely and peppered them with brilliant winners occasionally. His tactics worked wonderfully as he took a 2-1 lead and was up 8-5 in the third. It was then that Nicol changed his strategy. He started playing short and deep alternatively and forced Khan to start running. From there on, the match was his. Two brilliant rallies saw him draw level at 8-8. "Those rallies gave me the confidence. Once I won those, I knew I could do it," said Nicol, who pocketed the game with a stroke.

Words of praise are also due for referee Chas Evans from New Zealand, who kept a firm hold on the match. He had a superb control on the happenings, was frugal in awarding `lets’ and never gave undue strokes.

Result (Final): Peter Nicol (Scot) bt Jansher Khan (Pak) 9-15, 15-9, 9-15, 15-12, 15-15.