Squash: ‘PSA should allow foreign players in Pakistan’

Sindh Association president rues lack of international competition.

KARACHI:

The Sindh Squash Association (SSA) President Tahir Khanzada has stressed the Professional Squash Association (PSA) should allow foreign players to visit and play tournaments in Pakistan.

The official believes it was high time the PSA started playing an active role to help a giant like Pakistan to start hosting top players and events again as it had already suffered a lot ever since the ban on international entries by the PSA.

“The PSA should at least permit interested international players to play here,” Khanzada told The Express Tribune on the sidelines of the ongoing DHA International Squash Championship in Karachi.

“If the PSA cannot grant events to Pakistan that are worth $25,000 or more, we at least deserve some cooperation from them because Pakistan has given a lot to squash through Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Qamar Zaman and others.”

Nosherwan stuns third-seed Shuja

In the event, qualifier Nosherwan Khan recorded an upset 3-2 win against third-seed Kashif Shuja of New Zealand after a 95-minute battle at the Asif Nawaz Squash Complex.



He won with scores of 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 19-21 and 11-9 as both players were involved in heated exchanges with the referee on several occasions.

Fourth-seed Danish Atlas won against Saqib Yousuf 3-1 while Farhan Zaman beat Tayyab Aslam with game scores of 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-13 and 11-9.

Second-seed Nasir Iqbal thrashed Waqas Mehboob 3-1 in under half-an-hour.

In the girls’ event, Samar Anjum won in straight sets against Habiba Khan in 18 minutes while Madina Zafar took similar time for her 3-0 rout of Anum Aziz.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2013.