LAHORE, March 28: Former squash giants Pakistan need a long time and concerted efforts to pull the game out from abysmal depths, a fact that was proven at the $105,000 Pakistan Open which concluded here Wednesday.
It was the first time since the Open was instituted in 1980 that no Pakistani figured in the final which was contested by two foreigners.
Canada’s Jonathan Power emerged the winner defeating world number one, top seed Peter Nicol of England in a four-game thriller.
Pakistan’s only entry in the main round was world No 52 Amjad Khan, the 1998 winner and losing finalist of the following year.
However, his form slumped to such an extent that he could secure a place in the main round only through a wild card entry.
The Pakistani, although ousted world No 13 Welsh Alex Gough in the first round, he crashed out in the second round after being beaten by Amr Shabana of Egypt.
The other Pakistani qualifiers Mohammad Ilyas, Mansoor Zaman and Aijaz Azmat were all knocked out in the first round while others could not make the final round.
England’s Peter Marshall became the first foreigner in 1999 to win the Pakistan Open which was truly dominated by the Pakistanis.
Jahangir Khan won the Open 10 times, Jansher Khan six times and Amjad Khan grabbed the title once.
Few promising youngsters are currently training in Peshawar under coach Rehmat Khan who transformed Jahangir into a world champion.
Yasir Butt, another budding player, is being considered a ray of hope. Trained by Gogi Alauddin, the youngster recently triumphed in the Scottish Junior championship.
However, he needs a lot of international experience to gain the status of his illustrious predecessors.
The sorry state of squash affairs could be judged from the statement by the President General Pervez Musharraf.
The President in his remarks at the prize distribution ceremony had said though he enjoyed the final, yet he was saddened by the absence of any Pakistani in the final.
Pakistan, who once was a squash might, is now facing a crisis after the departure of the two stalwarts, Jahangir and Jansher who dominated the sport for decades.
The game in the country could only be put back on the track through unified efforts, although it will take years to regain the lost glory.—APP