Jansher to coach Pakistan National Squash team!!

Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman (left) and Jansher Khan(right) meeting

Jansher Khan has accepted a Pakistan squash Federation (PSF) offer to become national coach and then declared that he can help Pakistan squash to regain its lost glory.

" We are still better than any country in the world when it comes to squash talent," the former world champion told Arab News. "We just need to put in the hard work systematically to ensure that Pakistan squash regains its status as the best in the world," he stressed.

Pakistan is the most successful squash-playing nation having produced legends like Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan and Hashim Khan. But since Jansher's exit in the late nineties, neither of their players has even managed to reach the top-ten world rankings. It's a major slump for Pakistan, which till the eighties used to have around five of their players in the elite top-ten club.

Fahim Gul became the national coach in 2006. During his tenure, Pakistan had two partial successes in world and Asian junior tounaments and recently, Pakistanis won the Asian Games team event. Fahim Gul had taken over the responsibilities from Rehmat Khan, cousin of former world champion Jahangir Khan. 

Former British amateur champion Aftab Jawaid also held the position for a short period of time. 

Personal and family rivalries and jealousies have always made the job of a national coach controversial. Fathers, uncles and cousins have in the past blamed national coaches who held the post time to time for ignoring or favouring some players. 

However with the appointment of a great former world champion, the petty jealousies would vanish and the young and budding players would get good chance to learn the game from the best available person in the country.

Jansher, a record eight-time World Open champion, met with PSF president Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman at the Air Headquarters in Islamabad. Also present at the meeting was Air Vice Marshal Syed Razi Nawab, PSF's senior vice president.

" It was a very positive meeting," said Jansher. " The Air Chief asked me to work with the PSF as its adviser and head coach. I've accepted the offer as I'm keen to put Pakistan squash back on track." Jansher wants to focus on the grassroots level and is aiming to train players in various age groups starting from the under-11 category.

" We will concentrate on grassroots because nobody has worked at that level in the past," he said.

" Look at Australia, Egypt and England. They are at the top right now because in those countries there is a solid system at the grassroots level." Jansher said that with his help, the PSF will launch a comprehensive training program to groom players bracketed in age groups - under-11, under-13, under-15, under-17 and under-19.

His first task is to help Pakistan regain the world junior individual crown in Belgium next August.

" We have not won that title since 1986," said Jansher, who was the last Pakistani to win the world junior crown almost 24 years ago. " My first big target is to help Pakistan regain the world junior crown both in the team and individual events." Jansher wants to have all the former squash greats on board in a bid to help Pakistan produce world champions like it did in the past.

He has already roped in Mohibullah Khan Jr., a former world No.2, to head the Peshawar leg of the training project. In Lahore, Jansher wants to hire the legendary Gogi Alauddin.

" We want to take all our squash legends on board," he said.

" Pakistan squash has really suffered during the last 10 to 15 years and only a combined effort can help revive it." Jansher said that the PSF chief has promised "huge incentives" for any Pakistani players who managed to break into the top-5 world rankings.

" The incentives are going to be big for any of our players who will do well at the world circuit," he said.

Jansher, however, was quick to add that the federation is also serious in implementing a full-fledged code of conduct to maintain proper discipline.

" There will be no compromise on discipline," he said. "In squash, the only way to excel is by being disciplined and hard working. I would ensure that our players stick to the plan given to them.

" I've seen a lot of our boys wasting their golden years because they didn't work hard enough. Now is the time to ensure that our new lot doesn't suffer from the same fate."

Meanwhile, Pakistan No 2 squash player Farhan Mehboob welcomed the decision of the federation to hire Khan as the head coach.

“Certainly, he is a legendary player and with him leading the camp, the players would be motivated,” Mehboob said. He added that he has seen in the past only one coach, coaching senior, junior and female players alone, which has damaged squash.

“One coach cannot handle all the players. Having coaches and trainers separately for senior, junior and female players is a very prudent decision from federation,” he said.