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KARACHI Some 35 players including 13 girls are vying for 10 slots in two categories - boys and girls' under-18 and under-15 — as two-day selection trials for two back-to-back international tournaments slated in India next month got underway at the PSB Coaching Centre on Wednesday.
The two-day South Asian Juniors Table Tennis Championship will be held at Jaipur on July 20 and 21 followed by the Asian Juniors Table Tennis championship at the same venue from July 22 to 26.
Six under-18 players - three boys and three girls - and four under-15 players - two boys and two girls - forms the nucleus of Pakistan teams for the two competitions.
'Though Pakistan's participation is subject to government's clearance at the same time the chances of team's travel seems bright as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has asked Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) to submit final names soon,' a top official of the PTTF told Dawn on Wednesday.
The trials are being watched by a five-member national selection committee which includes Jawaid Chotani (chairman), Arif Nakhuda, Irfanullah, Nazo Tahir and Tayyaba Gill.
The trials were held in two sessions on the opening day. The second session was however marred by power failure at least twice. The trials will resume on Thursday at 9.30am.
Players who are appearing in the trials are;
Boys under-18 Salman Shahid, Usman Ahmed, Bilal Khan Afridi, Akbar Shah (Sindh), Waqas Ayub (Wapda), Abdullah Mohammad, Salman Virk (Railways), Yasir Aziz (NWFP), Jahanoor (Islamabad), Zeeshan and Shahzaib Maqbool (Punjab).
Girls under-18 Maleeha Khursheed (Wapda), Sana Erum, Farah Ilyas, Anum Saeed, Almitra Mavalwala (Sindh), Sana Muzaffar, Saba Mushtaq and Sobia Qamar (Punjab).
Boys' under-15 Tabish Khursheed, Aahil Shah, Syed Anns, Salman Saleem, Hasan Omer (Sindh), Rameez Khan (Wapda), Jamal Aziz, Abbas Ahmed (NWFP), Daniyal Khan, Abid Iqbal and Abdul Waheed (Punjab).
Girls under-15 Abeera Ali, Iqra Saeed (Sindh), Mehwish Mukhtar, Rushna Mukhtar, and Farva Babar (Punjab).
