Table Tennis: No coach but high hopes

Table Tennis squad prepares for Asian championship.

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) is yet to appoint a coach for the national squad which is preparing for the upcoming Asian championship that starts in China from February 20.

Last month, the PTTF held discussions with the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) with regards to a foreign coach and was told that two coaches from China will be appointed. However, no further progress in the matter has been made.

Players target top-12 finish

Meanwhile, despite preparing for the important event without a coach and their top two representatives, the players are still targeting a top-12 finish. The squad includes Yasir Bhatti, Salman Ahmed and Saleem Abbas, Asman Shehzadi, Saman Arzoo and Yasmin Khan. The higher-ranked Asim Qureshi and Faisal Ali have opted to skip the event.

“It will be a battle to prove ourselves against tough opposition like China and Singapore,” Bhatti told The Express Tribune. “Having said that, we are all extremely determined to give it our best shot and do something worthwhile so that the government and the public sit up and take notice.

“I am the highest-ranked male player in the squad and therefore feel the responsibility to win an event. However, realistically speaking, we cannot expect to achieve more than a 12th-place finish and that is what we are targeting.”

Abbas hopes foreign coaches get long terms

Meanwhile, Pakistan number four Abbas hoped that if the PSB came good on its promise of hiring Chinese coaches they should stay on for at least seven to eight months.

“Table tennis is a technical sport and its rules and techniques are prone to changing rapidly,” said Abbas. “We need a coach who can stay on with the team for a bit so the players could benefit from him properly.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2012.