November 25, 2007	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 14, 1428

PESHAWAR, Nov 24: National squash team coach Fahim Gul on Saturday predicted Pakistan to reach top four in the forthcoming the 21st World Men’s Team Squash Championship to be played at Squash Academy in Chennai, India from Dec 6 to 12.

Talking to newsmen here, Fahim expressed his optimism that Pakistan would record highest ever ranking in the 29-nation event since winning the event in 1993. In the last Championship Pakistan fell to an all-time low eighth position.

The training camp set up here at the PAF Hashim Khan Squash Complex is in full swing these days. Pakistan Open champion Aamir Atlas, runners-up Mansoor Zaman, SAF Games gold medallist Yasir Butt and former Junior Asian champion Farhan Mehboob are the members of the team competing in the World Team Championship.

Fahim said Pakistan was placed alongside Kenya, Bermuda and India in the pool and were certain to reach the quarter-finals of the event. “In the quarters, the team will have to face tough countries like Egypt, defending champion England, Australia and France after the second draw,” said Fahim. “A win there will certainly help Pakistan reach the top four.”

Egypt is seeded to win the title for the second time since 1999. In this biggest ever squash event in India. Three nations - Chinese Taipei, Venezuela and Sri Lanka – will be making their debut in the 2007 championship.

More than 100 players are expected to be seen in action, including the world’s top eight such as Amr Shabana (Egypt), Ramy Ashour (Egypt), Gregory Gaultier (France), David Palmer (Australia), James Willstrop (England), Nick Matthew (England); Thierry Lincou (France) and Karim Darwish (Egypt).

The championship will be played in two stages. In the first stage, the teams will be placed in eight pools and all the teams will be playing each other in a round-robin league.

The top two teams from each pool will then progress to the knockout phase while the remaining teams will play for positions 17 to 29.—APP