"Pakistan are much better than our seeding suggests. We’re determined to prove it through our performances in France," Farhan Zaman. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan open their World Squash Team Championship campaign today against Russia in a challenging Group C match in Mullhouse, France, landing just a day before the tournament begins.
Seeded 14th in the competition, the squad has been drawn in the same pool as hosts France, Netherlands and Russia. The team will be pitted against the Netherlands tomorrow, while their last group match will be played on Tuesday against France.
The four-member squad that includes Nasir Iqbal, Farhan Mehboob, Farhan Zaman and Sheikh Saqib Yousuf – along with coach Jamshed Gul and manager Abdul Wahab Marwat – left early yesterday morning.
“We have plenty of things to sort out in a short period of time,” Gul told The Express Tribune before their departure. “Everyone prefers reaching the venue a few days before to get acclimatised, but in our case we just have a day so it won’t be easy. However, we’ll try to plan our strategy for the match. In addition, we’ll try to take our players to the main court before the match so they can warm up and get a feel of the court.”
The event will be played by 32 teams, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the last-16. Australia are the most successful team with eight titles to their name, while Pakistan are second with six trophies.
In last year’s edition, Pakistan finished 22nd, their lowest ranking in the competition.
However, Zaman said the team was determined to do well. “Pakistan are much better than our seeding suggests,” said Zaman. “We’re determined to prove it through our performances in France.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 9th, 2013.
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