In the last Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia in 2018, Pakistan claimed one gold and four bronze medals. However, this time it is expected that the nation will win more medals in the quadrennial event which is slated to be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8.

Yes, in some areas our chances have already been dented like in weightlifting in which our potential medal hope Talha Talib will not be there as he is expected to face sanctions because of doping.

Talha could have fought for gold had he been there. But still we expect something stunning from weightlifters Nooh Dastgir Butt, Hanzala Dastgir and Haider Ali. Nooh, a heavyweight weightlifter, is a big hope as he has the potential to do something amazing for the country. He won bronze in the 2018 edition in Gold Coast but his career later has since been dogged by injuries. He is now fully fit, however, and his feat in the last World Championship was also good as he qualified for the Birmingham event. So we expect something big from this athlete.

Last time in Gold Coast our premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem could not click due to a back injury. And again he is carrying a tennis elbow issue. He underwent a couple of months training in South Africa but still sources around Arshad are not quite hopeful that he will pull off desirable results. It will be seen how he performs in the World Athletics Championship in the US next month. If he clicks there then he certainly will be a big medal hope in Birmingham. Arshad, no doubt, is a fine athlete, having finished fifth in the Tokyo Olympics.

Wrestling is the discipline where we can win a few medals. In Gold Coast, our premier wrestler Mohammad Inam Butt won gold while Tayyab Raza and Mohammad Bilal clinched bronze. This time it is expected that a few silvers will come in this discipline. Inam may face tough opposition this time while defending his title as in his weight a few top-level grapplers are there who have won medals at the major levels. But Inam is a player who can do anything. The big issue is that the wrestlers need foreign training ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Pakistan Weightlifting Federation (PWF) wants to send the lot to Kazakhstan for one and a half months training but lack of funds is a big hurdle. Let's see how it tackles the situation.

Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) also has not enough money to back the foreign training of the wrestlers, as per a senior official. Our most solid lot may face a big challenge in the days to come. But I hope if we are unable to get any gold medal in wrestling, certainly there are some silver medal chances as a solid lot has been picked after formal trials which also helped a few youngsters to find places in the touring party.

Judo was not there in the last Commonwealth Games but this time it will be there and Pakistan is fielding its two major fighters, two-time Olympian Shah Hussain and Qaiser Afridi who has also got a handful of medals in Asia at the junior level.

Shah won silver in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and he recently told me that he should now get gold in Birmingham.

He is training in Tokyo and desires to go to Birmingham from there.

Qaiser will make his Commonwealth Games debut. He is training in Abbottabad under Iranian coach Sajjad Kazmi who is now working very hard on Qaiser who has the killer instinct.

Shah Hussain has also labelled Qaiser as Pakistan's future star. So we are expecting a medal from Qaiser in Birmingham.

In boxing we will have to work very hard. Last time we claimed a medal in this discipline was in the 2014 Glasgow edition when the now professional fighter Mohammad Waseem snared a silver when he was beaten by Andrew Moloney of Australia in the final.

It will be a testing event for Pakistan's hockey team which recently failed to make it to the World Cup. Yes, the team has been showing signs of improvement during the last few months under a Dutch coach and hopefully like the 2018 edition the brigade will offer tough resistance against the opponents.

The Birmingham event will be a testing time for the Pakistan's women cricket team, too, under left-handed batter Bismah Maroof. The same team has been retained which won the T20 home series against Sri Lanka 3-0. Let's see how it plays there.

In squash, too, I am not hopeful of any medal In Birmingham.

There is also no chance in badminton, swimming, table tennis and gymnastics.

Pakistan will also feature in the Birmingham event in para-athletics and para-table tennis.

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