Better sense should prevail in Pakistan squash

ISLAMABAD: It has never been satisfying as a part of erstwhile great squash playing nation to see country’s leading players getting engaged in second grade events at a time when the World Team Championship is simultaneously being competed in USA where the best of internationally recognised stars have gathered to play for honour and pride.

Over the years we have been reduced to such low hopes and expectations by the people running the show in the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) that we have started taking satisfaction and pride in what little is on offer in the game of squash no matter how unimportant and immaterial it is.

Nothing taking away from Tayyab Aslam’s recent success in the dollar 20 thousand international or for that matter his playing the final against his fellow countryman Farhan Mehboob but missing the World Team Squash event in Washington is nothing less than a big blow to our inherited claim and pride that we are a leading squash playing nation.

Admitted that Pakistan have a history of producing world champions but for how long we are going to show the world there are faces like Jansher and Jahangir to look at when you count or rate Pakistan amongst squash playing nation. Indeed they were legendary figures but after them, there is a vacuum, which continues to be haunting the sports. In modern day sports you hardly live on a glorious past rather your present directions and achievements create an impact. Sadly that has not been the case with Pakistan squash that is on the slide for the last so many years. Once the powerhouse of the game, Pakistan is now struggling to maintain required tempo in a fast paced squash world where Egyptians continue to rule the roost.

For the fifth time they have scooped up the world team title Sunday beating England 2-0 in the final. It is not that over the years Egyptians have become so powerful in squash that now look invincible; it is Pakistan’s systematic downfall in the game that now is a matter of surprise for the international squash community.

Today, Pakistan does not have a single player amongst the top 60 in the world. Gone are the days when we used to have at least five to six among the top fifty players. That was not in a distant past. Moreover Pakistan has always taken pride in participating in the World Team Championship. Not finding Pakistan name amongst the top 23 squash playing nation and almost among 100 players competing in Washington surely is a big setback for country’s squash future and a huge wake-up call.

Admitted that we had no chances against powerful teams but missing a major event always drags you to a point of no return. Same had happened in the game of hockey where once we used to rule the world. Pakistan were amongst the eight best hockey playing nations even in recent times.

Once we missed the 2016 Champions Trophy where the greenshirts were invited to compete on a wild card, things had gone from bad to worse. Couple of more misses left us on the brink and today, as the fate have it, Pakistan is out of 2020 Olympic because of a tough draw.

Though squash is still struggling to enter Olympics, World Team Championship has always been one of the premier events and needs participation at all cost.

With new administration in place in the PSF, one hopes that not only players ranking will improve in near future, practical and realistic approach would be adopted and followed to bring the best out of players. Those players having the positive frame of mind and urge to do better would be promoted, supported and backed while those void of any tendency to improve their game would be kept out of financial support and help.

After all it is international ranking and results that matter and not the hollow slogans.