Squash carnival in March being planned

KARACHI: Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) is planning to organise a squash carnival featuring exhibition matches between top international players, while a bilateral series and a league with Egyptian players will also be held.

It has been learnt that the federation is trying to inaugurate the all-weather, four-wall glass squash court it purchased from ASB in December 2014. It plans to hold the carnival in March.

“The squash carnival is planned in March, either in Karachi or Lahore. Exhibition matches between top world players from different countries, including Egypt and the United States, will be held,” PSF treasurer Sikandar Mayo said while talking to ‘The News’.

He added that the portable court could be installed at the seaside in Karachi or PAF Museum so that it could attract masses in huge numbers.

He said the idea was to attract foreign players to the country. “The proposal has been finalised and now it awaits approval from the top officials of the federation,” said Sikandar.

After this carnival, he added, PSF would hold a bilateral series with Egypt in which top Egyptian players would play with top Pakistan players. “This is planned in April with JZ Squash World. The same series is to be turned into a league in October,” added Sikandar.

JZ Squash World successfully held an exhibition match between world number 8 Karim Abdelgawad and world number 13 Mazen Hesham in Karachi last month. Each of the player charged $10,000.

PSF then planned to hold these activities, which require millions of rupees, with JZ Squash World since Pakistan being a poor country was unable to spend thousands of dollars on exhibition matches.