Abdullah, Nauman carry Pak hopes in British Junior Open

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan does not have a realistic chance of making an impact in the British Junior Open (BOJ) Under-19 category where Anas Ali Shah is ranked outside 33 while all eyes are on Abdullah Nawaz (under-17) and Nauman Ali (under-15) for going all the way in the prestigious event starting from January 3 in Birmingham.

Anas has been playing on the junior circuit for years now but could not show any realistic improvement which could help him to stake a claim for the uner-19 title.

The most impressive of the junior lot is Abdullah Nawaz who will compete in the under-17 category of the event and is expected to make it to the semis. He even has the potential to go all the way following an encouraging display in the recently held CAS Open where he defeated a leading Egyptian and came closer to upsetting the second one.

Nauman Ali, a medal winner in the under-13 category of the last Open is also a potential medal winner this time around in the under-15 category. The No. 3 seed has the capacity and talent to spring a surprise.

“These players have been training hard all these weeks. Nasir Iqbal and Farhan Mehboob have been working hard on the youngsters.

Majority of the contingent members of different age groups who trained here and are being supported by the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) have put enough training to make a mark in their respective categories,” Secretary PSF Aamir Nawaz said.