“Logically, the facilities should have led to an explosion of interest in the game, but what’s been happening in Pakistan is the opposite. The reason: all these facilities have come up in big cities like Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad and are restricted to the rich in the society. “The facilities really look beautiful, but where are the players?” he asked. “The players are found on the street — and not in the airconditioned environment. I think instead of investing heavily in big cities, the authorities should have concentrated their efforts in building courts in smaller towns with an easy access for the youngsters.
“After all if you look at the history of Pakistan sports even great cricketers like Wasim Akram and Javed Miandad have come up through the ranks — they were picked while playing on streets.
“They made it big because they were hungry (for success) and were willing to sweat it out for hours every day. Such commitment and devotion is missing in the younger generation as far squash is concerned.”
How come Pakistan dominated squash for four decades when they didn’t have any decent facilities? “We had the facilities, but it was limited to armed forces’ clubs. Only those who had some one in their family serving the armed forces could enjoy access to squash courts. “The Khan clan, including Jahangir and Jansher were lucky in the sense that they had some one in the armed forces. For instance, Jansher’s father was gardner in the Pakistan Air Force while Jahangir’s father was in Pakistan Navy. “More than anything they were really hungry and made best of the facilities. But when you talk about Pakistan squash, certainly Jahangir and Jansher Khan made huge contributions, but there were many others who, for some reasons, don’t get the attention they deserve. “Players like Mohammed Yasin, Mohammed Salim, Abdul Rahman, Abdul Karim, Mohammed Ali Somji, Sohail Qaiser and the Gul family, in my opinion, did a great service in keeping the nation’s flag flying on the international circuit,” said Abbas, who himself played for six years on the circuit.
“If squash in Pakistan has to flourish, the authorities should design new programmes aimed at unearthing the raw talent. There is no dearth of coaches there. Pay them well, give them a group of students and a target and they will deliver.
“If they don’t — which I am sure won’t be the case — throw them out. The same criteria should be adopted for the players. If they don’t show improvement, chuck them out. “End of the day, I am sure we can shortlist both players and coaches with an eye on the future,” said Abbas a regular to Dubai where he is involved with the revival of the UAE Squash Rackets Association (UAESRA). “The same theory could be applied in the UAE where there is no dearth of ultra modern squash courts. When I first started coaching Shaikh Ahmed in 1980 there were just four courts in Dubai, the figure since then has shot up to more than 300.
“How to make optimum use of the facilities is the question,” he said, supporting the idea floated by Shaikh Ahmed, who dominated the UAE national scene for years, that all leading UAE sports clubs should open the doors to expatriates.
“To begin with the clubs can give access to a certain matured group under a time frame to see how things work out. After all the clubs would like to make sure that the facilities are not misused. There is no damage to the expensive infrastructure,” said Abbas, who, however, sees a great future for squash in the UAE. The new plan being formulated by UAESRA is to start from the grassroots, in schools, local and private clubs. A system is also to be worked out where the locals and expatriates will compete in the same league.
Major-General Abdul Aziz Al Bannai, president of the UAESRA, said UAE boasts of good facilities for the development and promotion of squash in the country. “After years of inactivity, the association wants to start anew by putting plans, promoting the game in the whole country,” he said.
“Right and sincere planning is the need of the hour,” he said.