The second seeds not only beat defending champions Egypt to avenge their loss in the previous final in 2006, but squad number one Aamir Atlas Khan led his country to victory by defeating new world champion Mohamed El Shorbagy to reverse the result of the earlier individual final.

It was the two nations’ third successive meeting in the final - and Pakistan made a perfect start when 18-year-old Aamir Atlas Khan, the favourite to win last week’s individual world crown, recovered from a game down to beat rival El Shorbagy 7-9, 9-2, 9-1, 9-1 in 48 minutes.

It took a further 64 minutes for Pakistan to win the title - squad number three Mohd Shoaib Hassan, from Lahore, grinding out a 9-5, 9-6, 9-2 win over Egypt’s Karim Abdel Gawad to clinch their upset over the event favourites.

The 2/0 win negated the need to play the third rubber, in which Waqar Mehboob, the Pakistan second string, was due to face Andrew Wagih Shoukry.

With previous title wins in 1982, 2002 and 2004, Pakistan are now celebrating their fourth Men’s World Junior Team success - equalling the achievement of England (1990, 1996, 1998 and 2000) but one behind Australia (1980, 1984, 1986, 1988 and 1992).

The battle for bronze saw third seeds England take on surprise opponents India, the fifth seeds who had reached the semi-finals for the first time in their history. An upset seemed on the cards when Vikram Malhotra, the Indian number one from Mumbai, beat British Junior champion Joe Lee 9-6, 9-0, 0-9, 9-3.

But it took 70 minutes for order to be restored when England’s third string Alex Ingham defeated Chennai-based 16-year-old Ravi Dixit 4-9, 9-3, 9-2, 9-6. Adrian Waller then made sure of a third-place finish for England - making up for their lowest-ever fourth place in 2006 - when he despatched Aditya Jagtap 9-0, 9-4, 9-4 in just 20 minutes.

Seventh seeds Germany won the play-off for fifth place, beating sixth seeds Malaysia 2/1 to record their best finish since 1988!

And in the seventh place play-off, tenth seeds Canada fought back from a match behind to upset fourth seeds France to end a four-event sequence of eighth-place finishes!

Local hero Nicolas Mueller claimed his sixth successive individual win in the team championship for Switzerland - this time beating South African Thoboki Mohohlo in straight games - but the hosts lost 2/1 to South Africa in the play-off for 13th place.

Czech Republic achieved the best finish of the four countries making their debut in the championships by beating Spain in the play-off for 19th place. Guatemala and Ecuador took 24th and 25th places, respectively, while fellow newcomers China - fielding a squad of 15 and 16-year-olds - ended in 31st place.

Howard Harding

Second seeds Pakistan eased past semi-finalists India, who got to that semi-finals by surprisingly beating fourth seeds France.

Top seeds Egypt overcame England, seeded three, in a match full of emotions. In the first match Englands Adrian Waller came from 1-2 down by sets and again from 2-7 down in points in the fifth set to secure England the lead.

Individual champion Mohamed El Shorbagy levelled easy for Egypt against Joe Lee. That left all to the decider - Khaled Khalifa against Alex Ingham. After 58 minutes it was clear that Egypt will take the place in the final, while Khalifa beat Ingham in a very tough 3-0 match.

Surprisingly Germany win over fourth seeds France and take the 5/6 playoff.

Host Switzerland overcame Finland 3-0 and will face South Africa for the 13/14 playoff.

Michael Müller (Tournament director)

The fifth seeds made the last eight after a 2/1 win over Australia, the 11th seeds, in the last sixteen round - 16-year-old Ravi Dixit winning the deciding match with a 9-2, 9-1, 9-0 victory over Joshua Larkin.

And it was the Chennai teenager who clinched India’s historic maiden appearance in the semi-finals in the decider against France.

France went ahead when Gregoire Marche, a quarter-finalist in last week’s individual championship, recovered from a game down to beat Vikram Malhotra, the Indian number one, 1-9, 9-4, 9-0, 9-1.

Having lost previously to Frenchman Lucas Vauzelle, India’s second string Aditya Jagtap faced an uphill task in the next match. But the 16-year-old from Mumbai looked determined and played aggressive squash to give his opponent little chance to take the advantage. Jagtap oozed confidence as he had his opponent scrambling all over the court before winning 9-6, 9-2, 9-5 to level the tie.

The decider was a cliff hanger: Dixit started off nervously against Antoine Petrucci and was soon 0/2 down in games and 2-5 down in the third. But, in a remarkable comeback, the Indian number three overcame the deficit before rallying to an 8-10, 2-9, 9-7, 9-1, 9-2 victory after 77 minutes to take India into the semis for the first time in its history.

Major Maniam, Consultant Coach to the Squash Rackets Federation of India said: “It was an absolutely outstanding show by three players who believed in themselves - and we can now dare to dream to lift the title in two years’ time!”

India will face Asian rivals Pakistan, the second seeds who beat Germany, the No7 seeds, 3/0.

The other semi-final will see defending champions Egypt take on third seeds England in a repeat of the 2006 semi-final. Top seeds Egypt, led by the new world champion Mohamed El Shorbagy, despatched tenth seeds Canada 3/0, while former champions England fought back from a match down to beat Malaysia, the No6 seeds, 2/1.

Semi-final line-up:
[1] EGYPT v [3] ENGLAND
[2] PAKISTAN v [5] INDIA

5th - 8th place play-offs:
[6] MALAYSIA v [10] CANADA
[4] FRANCE v [7] GERMANY

9th - 12th place play-offs:
[9] NEW ZEALAND v [12] USA
[8] HONG KONG v [11] AUSTRALIA

13th - 16th place play-offs:
[13] SOUTH AFRICA v [15] KUWAIT
[14] SWITZERLAND v [17/24] FINLAND

17th - 24th place play-offs:
[16] WALES v [17/24] SPAIN
[17/24] DENMARK v [17/24] NETHERLANDS
[17/24] BELGIUM v [17/24] GUATEMALA
[17/24] CZECH REPUBLIC v [17/24] SWEDEN

25th - 31st place play-offs:
[25/31] BERMUDA bye
[25/31] ECUADOR v [25/31] ITALY
[25/31] VENEZUELA v [25/31] CHINA
[25/31] IRELAND v [25/31] CAYMAN ISLANDS

Howard Harding

17th - 31st place play-offs:
[16] WALES bye
[17/24] SPAIN v [25/31] BERMUDA
[17/24] DENMARK v [25/31] ECUADOR
[17/24] NETHERLANDS v [25/31] ITALY
[17/24] GUATEMALA v [25/31] VENEZUELA
[17/24] BELGIUM v [25/31] CHINA
[17/24] SWEDEN v [25/31] IRELAND
[17/24] CZECH REPUBLIC v [25/31] CAYMAN ISLANDS

Michael Müller (Tournament director)

After beating event debutantes China 3/0 in the opening tie of the day, ninth seeds New Zealand faced Hong Kong, the eighth seeds, in the decider in Pool H. Cameron Jamieson got the Kiwi team off to a winning start, outlasting Fung Ji Yang 5-9, 9-1, 4-9, 9-6, 2-5, with the Hong Kong player forced to retire with cramp after 73 minutes on court.

However, Leo Au levelled the tie for the Asian side, handing the New Zealand number one Evan Williams his first defeat of the teams event, with a 9-3, 10-9, 9-5 victory in 50 minutes.

That left Alex Grayson the task of winning the tie for New Zealand, which he duly achieved with a 9-3, 9-3, 9-4 victory over Nelson Chan in the battle of the number threes.

In the last sixteen round knockout stage, New Zealand now face tenth seeds Canada for a place in the quarter-finals.

Finland, seeded in the 17/24 group, are now sure of a top 16 finish after upsetting 16th seeds Wales in the final encounter in Pool A. While pool favourites Egypt, the title-holders, made sure of qualification by beating Ecuador 3/0 to top the pool table, Finland fought back from a match down to beat Wales 2/1 to claim second place.

Welsh hopes were high when squad number three Sam Fenwick beat Joonas Honkanen 9-6, 9-7, 2-9, 9-4 in the opening match. But the Finnish top string Henrik Mustonen struck back to beat Hywel Robinson 9-3, 9-1, 9-5, before Ville Hiltunen sealed victory for the underdogs with a 10-8, 9-4, 10-9 win over David Haley.

Finland now face second seeds Pakistan in the last sixteen round after the 2006 runners-up coasted to victory in Pool B with comprehensive 3/0 wins over both Kuwait and Bermuda.

Last sixteen round line-up:
[1] EGYPT v [15] KUWAIT
[9] NEW ZEALAND v [10] CANADA
[3] ENGLAND v [13] SOUTH AFRICA
[6] MALAYSIA v [12] USA
[5] INDIA v [11] AUSTRALIA
[4] FRANCE v [14] SWITZERLAND
[7] GERMANY v [8] HONG KONG
[2] PAKISTAN v [17/24] FINLAND

17th - 31st place play-offs:
[16] WALES bye
[17/24] SPAIN v [25/31] BERMUDA
[17/24] DENMARK v [25/31] ECUADOR
[17/24] NETHERLANDS v [25/31] ITALY
[17/24] GUATEMALA v [25/31] VENEZUELA
[17/24] BELGIUM v [25/31] CHINA
[17/24] SWEDEN v [25/31] IRELAND
[17/24] CZECH REPUBLIC v [25/31] CAYMAN ISLANDS

Howard Harding

Philipp Schaller

It was a dramatic climax to the 15th staging of the biennial World Squash Federation championship, being held for the first time in Switzerland.

Aamir Atlas Khan, a semi-finalist both in 2004 and 2006 - and, at No24, the highest-world-ranked player in the field - was firm favourite to win the title. The 18-year-old had reached the final without dropping a game - and victory would have made him the first Pakistani to lift the title since his uncle, the legendary Jansher khan, in 1986.

But El Shorbagy was also hungry for success - and survived both his opponent and the naturally partisan crowd to topple Swiss star Nicolas Mueller in five games less than 24 hours earlier.

The 17-year-old from Alexandria, who celebrated a career-high world ranking of 60 today, dropped the first game for just two points - but powered back into the match before ultimately celebrating victory after 75 minutes in a 2-9, 9-3, 10-8, 9-4 scoreline.

“This is a very special moment,” said the ecstatic teenager afterwards. “I’m very happy to be here and share it with my mother and father. I was 8-5 up in the third and had to make a big push.

“This was a once in a lifetime chance and I told myself to make a big push.

“The last two titles have been won by Egypt and there was a lot of pressure on me to win it,” added El Shorbagy, who is based in the UK where he trains with British squash supreme Jonah Barrington.

“Aamir and I will probably have to play again in the team match - it will be another hard match and I need to go away and prepare mentally for it.”

El Shorbagy follows the now 20-year-old world No4 Ramy Ashour as winner of the title - and is the latest in a distinguished line of former Egyptian champions including Ashour, Karim Darwish, Ahmed Faizy and the country’s first winner, in 1994, Ahmed Barada.

Egypt are seeded to win the World Junior Team Championship which gets underway tomorrow (Saturday).

The complete final seedings, confirmed today, are: 1 EGYPT, 2 PAKISTAN, 3 ENGLAND, 4 FRANCE, 5 INDIA, 6 MALAYSIA, 7 GERMANY, 8 HONG KONG, 9 NEW ZEALAND, 10 CANADA, 11 AUSTRALIA, 12 USA, 13 SOUTH AFRICA, 14 SWITZERLAND, 15 KUWAIT, 16 WALES, - and, 17/24: FINLAND, CZECH REPUBLIC, DENMARK, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, GUATEMALA, SPAIN and SWEDEN; and 25/31: IRELAND, BERMUDA, CAYMAN ISLANDS, CHINA , ECUADOR, ITALY and VENEZUELA.

Howard Harding

Khan, who celebrated his 18th birthday 24 hours earlier, cruised to a 9-1, 9-1, 9-6 victory in 40 minutes over compatriot Waqar Mehboob, a 5/8 seed.

Kahn - who has reached the final without dropping a game - is now one match away from becoming the first Pakistani to win the title since his legendary uncle Jansher Khan, the record eight-time senior World Open champion, in 1986.

The other semi-final pitched El Shorbagy against local hero Nicolas Mueller, the third seed and former European Junior champion from Switzerland.

With the crowd backing Mueller all the way, the Swiss teenager twice clawed back game leads by the higher-ranked Egyptian.

But, after 67 minutes, it was El Shorbagy who prevailed, winning 9-7, 9-10, 9-4, 1-9, 9-5 to take his expected place in Friday’s final.

Howard Harding

Only in the third game, when Mehboob came up to 6:8 it was an open match. Shorbagy instead took on local favourite Nicolas Mueller. The match had some thing special. In first three sets always the player who was far behind took the game in the end.

4:7 down in the first game Shorbagy won 9:7; 5:8 down in the second game, Mueller won the second 10:9; 1:4 down in the third, Shorbagy won the game 9:4. Almost everybody of the almost 550 spectators would not give a Cent on Mueller now, but the Swiss showed great skills and equalled with a 9:1 win.

The final game was very even up to 5:5, when suddenly a winning shot by Shorbargy and a mistake by Mueller gave the Egyptian the advantage. Eventually Shorbagy didn’t give away the lead and secured his place in the final.

Michael Müller (Tournament Director)

Mehboob, the 16-year-old reigning Pakistan Junior champion from Peshawar, battled for 74 minutes to overcome the 18-year-old European Junior champion from Aix-en-Provence 9-6, 8-10, 9-5, 9-0.

In a match which will ensure the first Pakistani finalist since 2004, Mehboob - in his maiden appearance in the event - will now take on compatriot Aamir Atlas Khan, the event’s firm favourite after reaching the semi-finals both in 2004 and 2006, in

Khan celebrated his 18th birthday in fine style by beating Egyptian Andrew Wagih Shoukry 9-1, 9-5, 9-0 in 36 minutes.

The other semi-final will pitch local hero Nicolas Mueller, the third seed, against Egypt’s Mohamed El Shorbagy, the No2 seed.

Mueller arrived at the event following successive European Squash Federation Junior Circuit victories in the German Open, the Pioneer Open and the Dutch Open. But the 18-year-old from Hirzel, near Zurich, dropped his first game of the championship in overcoming England’s 5/8 seed Adrian Waller 9-5, 4-9, 9-3, 9-2 in 58 minutes.

The result ended English interest in the event - and also ended Waller’s run of three successive straight games defeats by Switzerland’s former European Junior champion.

Mohamed El Shorbagy, a 17-year-old from Alexandria who is yet to drop a game in the event, brushed aside Malaysia’s 9/16 seed Ivan Yuen, winning 9-3, 9-5, 9-1 in 30 minutes.

Semi-final line-up:
7pm: [1] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) v [5/8] Waqar Mehboob (PAK)
8pm: [2] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v [3] Nicolas Mueller (SUI)

Howard Harding