However, it is amusing how the nation is being led to believe by the team management that Pakistan performed better, for it elevated up to the fifth place as compared to our ninth position in the previous contest. Instead of finding the root cause of Pakistan team's constant failure, we are yet again misleading the nation.

Pakistan's four-member squad, including our leading player Amir Atlas Khan, left-handed Mansoor Zaman, Farhan Mahboob -- all from Peshawar -- and Lahore's Yasir Butt performed below average in the team championship. It was the same outfit that represented Pakistan two years ago in the Indian port city Chennai. The most seasoned campaigner of the squad was Mansoor Zaman, competing for the fifth successive time in Denmark, having made his median appearance in the 2001 championship.

It is both frustrating and disheartening to see a game like squash, in which Pakistan had demonstrated almost total domination in the '80s and early '90s through the irreplaceable Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan, falling to pieces in the international arena. Even our world no. 16 Aamir Atlas Khan, was out of the competition before even entering the quarter-finals of the November World Open in Kuwait, which only reflects the inconsistency and incapability of our players to face emerging challenges in international squash.

Squash in Pakistan thus continues to decline after the retirement of the two legendary Khans as the new generation of squash players lets the nation down at every given opportunity. The Pakistan Squash Federation and all its affiliated units should also be held equally responsible for their failure to re-establish Pakistan's lost glory. Despite the fact that the PSF has spent millions on coaching and training our squash players, they still lack the professional commitment which was once demonstrated by our former world-class players. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) too has withdrawn from the world ranking status of the four international tournaments in which foreign players used to compete.

The situation is alarming and requires the new setup of the PSF to initiate holding a five-match international series against Egypt, England, France, and Australia next year, as foreign players are reluctant to play in Pakistan due to security reasons. This pattern has been adopted by Pakistan Cricket Board as well as by the PHF after foreign teams refused to play in Pakistan and expressed security concerns.

Holding an international series would be of immense benefit for our squash players, especially in terms of gaining experience. After initial trials at Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta, Karachi, Hyderabad, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, two top ranked players and two talented youngsters, below the age of 16, should be selected to compete in the series, and should be trained to succeed.

Even if two of the above-mentioned countries agree to the proposal, it could be a great success for the PSF.