ISLAMABAD     -     Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) has selected 14 players to represent the country in different categories of the British Junior Squash Championship 2020, which will be held in Birmingham, England from January 2 to 6.

Talking to The Nation on Wednesday, Pakistan National Squash Academy (PNSA) Director Air Commodore (R) Aftab Saddiq Qureshi said: “Around 30 top junior players of the country participated in the trials, which were conducted after fulfilling all the formalities and age verifications. We have hired top professional coaches Asif Khan and Fazal Shah. They are training the boys for the last month and the camp will continue till the time of departure of the players. Two top class trainers Muhammad Boota and Anees are helping the federation by making the players mentally and physically strong.”

He said they were always open to healthy criticism, but people must also appreciate their efforts as they cannot produce champions in a night.

“Last year our boys played in the British Junior semifinals and also in the quarterfinals, while they had been doing wonders in the different Asian level tournaments as well. The Egyptian programme is meant to help not only junior players, our coaches, but also the federation in finding solutions to our shortcomings. We are ready to appoint any given top coach in our budget. Pakistan Air Force is bearing the lime share of the huge expenditures, which we had to pay for players training, international tours, utility bills, maintenance of complexes. Let me assure all, we are not taking a single penny favours. We are spending hours and hours and I use to visit different academies and spent few days, check the training process and submit report to the higher authorities. PSF Secretary Group Captain Tahir Sultan is part of the team and we consult everything but I never interfere in his domain. We discuss players and then they are selected for the PNSA. We have around 30 players pool, whom we are providing highly sophisticated and modern day training. But one must understand, it is the player, who had to deliver, we can’t play for them.”

He said time is not far when they will start to produce more than desired results and the recent achievements of juniors were no secret. Aftab said senior players don’t want to train at the PNSA as they want to follow their own rules.

“I know Farhan Mehboob can still break into PSA top 10 rankings, if he trains for three hours daily, keep his fitness levels up to the mark, I can bet, he can beat any given player. I treat players like my own sons, like friends, sometimes they get rash and doesn’t cooperate, even then I never get upset with them,” Aftab concluded”

PSF Secretary Tahir Sultan said: “Haris Qasim, Zeeshan Zeb, Uzair Shoukat and Hamza Sharif will represent Pakistan in U-19 category, Noor Zaman, Asad Ullah, Waleed Khalil and Ahsan Irfan will play in U1-7, Ammad Hamza Khan, Anas Bukhari and Hummam Ejaz will play in U-15 and Abdullah Nawaz and Sakhi Tareen, who will bear all his expenses, will play in U-13 category.

We are highly hopeful that keeping in mind training, efforts put in by federation and the way boys’ are willing to pay heed what is told to them, they are definitely going to challenge for titles. Noor Zaman is grandson of legendry former world champion Qamar Zaman, he had the guts and legacy of becoming world champion. Youngster Abdullah Nawaz is another bright prospect, while Hamza had played in the last year’s British Junior semi-finals, we had quality and if they fulfill even half of their potential and the hectic training they had gone through, take my words, they are bound to win titles.” 

Tahir said there was still around 50 days left before the event started in the UK he hoped the players will soon overcome minor flaws in their techniques and soon become super fit both mentally and physically. “Their fitness levels are only concern for me, otherwise they are at par to any given junior player, even they can pose serious problems for senior players as well, such is the level of the training, they are super fit. They just need to carry forward the momentum and give their 100 percent and leave the rest. If they play according to their strength, winning or losing doesn’t matter for me, play like true champions and results are bound to come in your way,” Tahir concluded.