By Anand Philar, IANS
Chennai : There was a time when Pakistan was synonymous with squash with the likes of Jehangir Khan and Jansher Khan dominating the international stage for nearly two decades.
However, the retirement of the duo in the mid-1990s saw the country’s fortunes nosedive and at the moment, no Pakistani player figures in the top-20 ranking list. But a revival is just around the corner if you are to believe Pakistan coach Fahim Gul.
Gul, who is here with a four-member contingent, for the 21st ICL World Men’s Team Squash championship, asserted that squash in Pakistan is being revived and that the day is not far off when his country would regain the glory days.
“It is just a matter of time. May be as early as the next year, you might see a Pakistani player in the top-10 and more will follow,” Gul told IANS.
“The problem was that when Jehangir and Jansher were at the top, we did not build up a support system or groom young talent. So, when the two retired, we did not have a single player, who could come anywhere close to the two legends. But all that is history and we are making a lot of effort now to revive the sport in Pakistan,” he said.
Gul said that the national federation had identified five players in each of senior men and women, junior boys’ and girls’ category for intensive training.
“We have five players in the men’s competition with Aamir Atlas Khan ranked No.28. I am pretty sure he will make it to top 10 next year, for he is improving with each outing,” Gul said.
Besides Khan, the Pakistan team includes Mansoor Zaman (35), Farhan Mehboob (53) and Yasir Butt (72).
“We also have Majid Khan who is just 22 and is ranked in the 70s. So, we have a pretty good line-up now,” he said.
As part of the training programme, the 20 handpicked players are provided intensive training besides being sent out for international competition.
“Our men players take part in about 12 tournaments every year and the federation along with the government funds their expenses,” the coach added.
In fact, the selected players each receive a quarterly stipend of $1,000 dollars.
“This amount is an incentive for the players. Money is not an issue with Pakistan squash. We also receive corporate support,” he said.
On the ongoing World Team championship, Gul said Pakistan’s target was to qualify for the medal rounds (semi-finals).
“I think, semi-finals is a realistic target for my team given the talent and potential we have,” Gul pointed out.
Incidentally, Pakistan won last of their six titles in 1993 and were runners-up to England in 1995. They finished seventh in 2005, ninth in 2003, 11th in 2001, 12th in 1999 and sixth in 1997.