Squash: ‘Pakistan female players have a long way to go’

World number 7 Low recommends more international participation.

ISLAMABAD: World number seven and Malaysian top seed at the ongoing Asian Individual Squash Championship Low Wee Wern has said that Pakistan’s female players needed to compete internationally in order to improve their game.

According to Low, apart from Maria Toor Pakai, who trains in Canada with former world number one Jonathan Power, the rest of the girls are lagging behind in terms of the standard required to compete at the international level.

“Pakistan should look to play series with other nations on a reciprocal basis,” Low told The Express Tribune. “This would help their girls immensely. Maria is the only one who can compete with top players, while the rest of them are nowhere near the required level. Playing international tournaments once in a while won’t help them. They need to start playing against different teams regularly and this will help them gauge their current standing.”

However, Low believes it could be a while before a Pakistan girl reaches the summit of world squash.



Responding to Power’s bold statement, where he promised elevating Maria to the number one position in two years, Low said, “It is really a big ask for her to achieve that because playing against top players won’t be easy. She puts in a lot of effort but that aim is a little too far-fetched for now.”

‘Coming to Pakistan wasn’t an easy decision’

Low also revealed the concerns she and other international players had about coming to Pakistan for the championship.

“To be honest we avoid playing in Pakistan but this time we were given adequate security assurances. This brief stay so far has reassured us, to some extent, that it isn’t as bad as it is projected in the media.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2013.