Amir ruled out of Malaysian Open

The Squash player is ‘recovering from illness’. The development means that Amir’s ranking points will be...

KARACHI:

Amir Atlas Khan has ruled himself out of the Malaysian Open due to illness, his second successive withdrawal from a major tournament after the British Open.

The development means that Amir’s ranking points will be deducted, resulting in a further slump in his position. It has been learnt that the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) had promised to sponsor Amir for the Malaysian Open but the player decided against participation. When the player’s father, Atlas Khan, who is his coach as well, was contacted, he said that his son withdrew due to medical reasons.

“He is not match-fit at the moment as he is still recovering from fever and a throat infection,” Khan told The Express Tribune. Amir is still practising at the squash courts in Peshawar to which Khan said, “It is just to keep the body warm and help him recover quickly.”

PSF head coach Jamshed Gul said that the federation will fulfil its promise of helping players to take part in PSA events to improve their ranking.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2012.