KARACHI: Squash great Geoff Hunt has said the game has gained more popularity as compared to his playing days and has expressed his delight that it has spread to many countries around the world.

“Players from fewer countries used to play the PSA circuit in yesteryear, but now one can see players coming from regions such as Peru, Mexico Czech Republic among others that were unheard of in my playing days,” he told Dawn on the sidelines of the high-profile Pakistan Open that commenced here on Wednesday.

The 71-year-old veteran Australian, who was once an household name in Pakistan due to his excellence on the court, is here as coach of third seed Qatari player Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi.

The four-time former world champion, who took up coaching after quitting squash due to back problems in 1982, acknowledged the love and affection of once invincible Jahangir Khan and the people of Pakistan and said he has fond memories of that.

Hunt was full of praise when asked about his comments about the ongoing Pakistan Open. “Khan is doing good work for the promotion of game,”said the eight-time former British Open champion.

Hunt recalled that he was 34 and Jahangir was just half his age (17) when the two met in British Open.

“Today the game has become fast and requires top physical fitness.” he said adding that could be anybody’s game while referring to the top players competing in Pakistan Open.

He went on to say that, unfortunately, the standard of squash in Pakistan had taken a nosedive while the other Asian players have improved a lot recently with players from Malaysia, Qatar, Hong Kong among others making their marks.

He hoped the new generation of Pakistani players will work hard and come up with better results at the PSA events in the days ahead.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2018