ISLAMABAD, Jun 14 (APP): The Nations Cup would take place from November 3 to 6 at the Trust power Arena in Tauranga, New Zealand.
The competition format would see a new best-of-seven games scoring format being used throughout the four-day event, said a press release issued here. Each game would be first to seven points.
If the game scores were locked at 6-6, a sudden-death point will be played, with the winner of that rally taking the game. Each player can opt for a ‘Power Play’ twice per match where he or she can win two points. The Nations Cup – would take place ahead of the New Zealand Open, which will make its debut during the 2022-23 season.
The event would feature eight nations, with two players (one male and one female) from each country competing. Those nations will be split into two groups of four, with the top teams from each group meeting in the final.
A fixture would feature a men’s and a women’s match with the overall team score to be determined in the following order: (1) the number of matches won; (2) the number of games won; (3) the number of points won.
The new scoring format was decided following engagement with the squash community, with votes being cast on a series of proposed scoring formats during April-May on the PSA World Tour website.
“We’re excited to announce the scoring format for the upcoming Nations Cup and look forward to pioneering a new style of tournament in New Zealand,” said PSA Chief Executive and Squash Media & Marketing Director Alex Gough.
“The role of the Squash FORWARD series on the calendar is to trial new formats and tournaments which can help create more excitement in the sport.
We were pleased to involve the squash community in choosing the format for the Nations Cup and look forward to working together with Squash New Zealand to deliver a new experience to players, spectators and viewers.”
Squash New Zealand Chief Executive Martin Dowson said, “Everyone in New Zealand is so excited to have some of the world’s best players compete in New Zealand in November and to extend the opportunity by having back-to-back events is amazing.
It has been a long time for Kiwis to have seen Paul Coll and Joelle King back playing in New Zealand and it has been an even longer time to have seen our home-grown players compete against the best in the world players on our court.
The Nations Cup and the New Zealand Open, both were PSA World Tour Silver events and would be played at the same venue in November.