National squash coach Jamshed Gul is optimistic about the players’ readiness for the Asian Games, despite preparations beginning later than planned due to the political unrest in Islamabad.
The squash contingent – including both boys’ and girls’ teams – will depart on September 18, giving them two more weeks to improve their game and fitness levels.
The men’s team comprises captain Farhan Mehboob, Nasir Iqbal, Farhan Zaman and Danish Atlas Khan; the exact line-up which won the senior Asian event and will go to Korea as defending champions.
On the other hand, the women’s team will be skippered by star player Mariam Toorpakai Wazir, who will lead Samar Anjum, Riffat Khan and Muqaddas Ashraf.
“We have almost two weeks left before our departure and we’ll try to put our players in the best possible shape ahead of the Asian Games,” Gul told The Express Tribune.
“The camp was temporarily disrupted when it had to be moved to Peshawar due to protests in the capital, and then a Professional Squash Association (PSA) event came up.
“But now we have resumed training and the plan is keep all players fit. The men have good match practice under their belts courtesy the PSA tournament in Lahore, so there aren’t many issues on their side.”
Gul added that despite the Pakistan Squash Federation pushing for Amir Atlas Khan to be included in the team, the Asian champion was unable to make the final cut as he was not fully fit.
The coach further said that the seedings for the event are yet to be announced, but it seems that Pakistan will be seeded second, as it was in the Asian championship.
Gul also hopes that the women will continue to improve their results.
“It’s heartening that the girls have started to do well. It’s not just Maria who is getting results. Samar and Riffat are also coming up as a force to be reckoned with, which is a positive sign,” he concluded.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2014.
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