Shift of power: K-P’s squash dominance on the decline

Punjab association working hard to create better players at junior and senior levels.

KARACHI:

Aqib Hanif’s upset win over Aamir Atlas Khan in the final of the 2nd FMC Pakistan International Squash Circuit signalled that the dominance Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) players have had for decades in the country’s sport is getting weaker.

Apart from Aqib, Lahore’s Shekih Saqib Yousuf has also been impressive off late, while Tayyab Aslam, Ammad Fareed and Ali Bokhari have shown promise and potential to take Pakistan to greater heights.

However, the shift in paradigm has not been an overnight one and the Punjab Squash Association (PSA) has been working through a proper plan, according to their secretary Rana Tariq.

“Our plan is on a micro level and we’ve been spending more than Rs150,000 every month on coaches and trainer Zahid Butt on our own,” Tariq told The Express Tribune. “Our main aim is to produce top players who can bring laurels for Pakistan and quite a few of Punjab’s players have already proven their dominance in domestic tournaments.

“Our policy is to promote youngsters in senior age groups so that they can learn quickly by playing against tougher opponents. Whoever wins two titles in his or her age group is promoted.”

Becoming Pakistan number one is my aim: Aqib

Meanwhile, Aqib said that his recent success is a result of a one-and-a-half months training as he aims to become the country’s number one player once he completes his graduation in July.

“I trained hard with Butt which helped me attain top fitness levels and I was able to win my maiden title,” said Aqib, who is currently ranked number 176 in the world.

Aqib said that he will try to better his career-best 108 rank after July. “I was unable to practise properly because my parents wanted me to carry on with my studies as well. Otherwise I could have been a higher-ranked player.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2012.