Squash glory

After a prolonged title drought that left a desolating impact on Pakistan squash’s landscape, a 17-year-old from Peshawar has given the sport a ray of hope. The supremely-talented Hamza Khan won the individual title at the World Junior Squash Championships in Melbourne on Sunday, becoming the first Pakistani in 37 years to claim the coveted title. It was back in 1986 that Jansher Khan won the world junior crown in the Australian city of Brisbane. Since then many Pakistani players were touted as favourites for the title but could not emulate the legendary Jansher. Hamza has finally ended this long wait by conquering 15-year-old Egyptian Mohamed Zakaria in an epic final. Hamza came back after losing the first game 10-12 and conceding a 0-5 lead in the second game. He went on to win three straight games to give Pakistan their first world squash title in a very long time.

Hamza’s title-winning triumph was celebrated across the country with congratulatory messages pouring in from all quarters. The chorus of praise was led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif while ten-time British Open champion Jahangir Khan also hailed Hamza’s achievement. His win is certainly a big reason to celebrate but winning the world junior title is just a stepping stone in the career of a top-class player. Hamza should now set his sights on bigger goals which include top-notch events like the World Open on the professional circuit. To do that Hamza will need all out support from the authorities, something which he laments has remained absent in the past. By winning the world junior title, Hamza has proved that he has the potential to become a world class player. He can help revive Pakistan’s lost glory in international squash if he continues following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors like Jahangir and Jansher. For the best part of five decades starting from the fifties, Pakistan’s players dominated international squash. But it has been all downhill since the late nineties. No Pakistani player has won the World Open since Jansher’s record eighth title way back in 1996. Perhaps, Hamza can win back the trophy for Pakistan. But to do that he will need support from all quarters. Hamza will also need to work harder as he has to achieve much bigger goals than winning the world junior title. His journey to stardom has just begun.