ISLAMABAD - Pakistani-origin US squash player and coach Adnan Gul claims if the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) hires his services, he can offer his services to transform raw talent into champions.
Talking to The Nation, Adnan, who is the only Pakistani-origin Level-III coach, said: “I was Pakistan number 4 in U-19 in 2004 and was highly rated by my peers but I left the country in 2006 after getting frustrated as I finished 5th in trials for the British Junior and decided to reside in Malaysia and remain there for five years and helped a number of top Malaysian junior players to make their presence felt in world and British juniors.
Adnan said his heart was twice broken, as first he was not selected for U-17 British Junior Championship and second when he was ignored for U-19 British Junior. “I offered them to bore all my expenses but even then I was left high and dry. It was heartbreaking for me and my squash career. After that, I signed two years contract with National Sports Council of Malaysia and served them for 5 years.
“I moved to USA in 2011, where I started playing competitive squash again and became an active member of PSA and took part in numerous international tournaments and did remarkably well. I also played loads of exhibition matches. Now I have also done Level-III course in USA and became first Pakistani based in USA to achieve this feat.”
He said he was not only participating in the PSA events in USA but also based at Dayton Squash Centre, Miamisburg Ohio as a touring squash pro since 2013. “I helped Hamza Khan become number 5 in U-15, Zaina Usman to number 2 in U-11 category in USA, while I am helping around 10 to 15 players in the club, who are in top 10 in different age categories.”
When asked about serving the country by grooming fresh talent at grassroots level, just like he did in USA, Adnan replied: “If contacted by Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) and given assurance of doing work in my style, I can accept the offer, but it depends. For now, I am committed to play in USA and helping my club kids to break into PSA top rankings, while for the time being, I am also planning to visit Australia to play in a number of PSA events.”
He said: “I offer my services for Pakistani players in USA. If the PSF sends kids to USA for train purpose, I am more than willing to help them out and try to transform them into champions,” he added.
“I recommend the PSF to single out pool of players starting from U-5 to U-13, as in USA, parents start working on their kids from very early which help them develop their muscles and habits according to the game and also enable them to deliver in the best possible way. Focusing on grooming fresh talent is the only way to help Pakistan regain lost squash glory,” Adnan concluded.