On Sunday, young Hamza Khan beat Egypt’s Mohamed Zakaria to win the World Junior Championship in Melbourne. This put Pakistan back on the world squash podium. Khan beat Zakaria in the final by a score of 3-1. The scores were 10-12, 14-12, 11-3, and 11-6. This was Pakistan’s first World Junior Squash title since Jansher Khan won it 37 years ago. The final between Hamza and Zakaria got off to an exciting start with two games right after each other that ended in a tie. But Hamza easily won the next two games to finish with a 3-1 win.
Hamza Khan wins World Junior Squash Championship for Pakistan after 37 years
Zakaria took the lead in the second game, which took 26 minutes, and scored 12-10. In another exciting match, the Pakistani player was behind 8–10, but he stopped Zakaria from getting game points twice and tied the game with a 14–12 win. The following two games were the exact opposite of what everyone saw in the first two. Hamza won the third game with a score of 11-3 without much trouble in just 6 minutes. He then won the fourth game with a score of 11-6.
On Saturday, Hamza made it to the final of the World Junior Squash Championship. Melvil Scianimanico of France returned after being down two games and match ball, but Hamza won the third game and moved on to the final. PM thinks that Hamza will make Pakistan unbeatable once more.
When Hamza won the World Junior Squash Championship, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated him, the country, and all the other players. Radio Pakistan said that, based on a statement, the PM thanked Hamza for giving Pakistan the title back after 37 years. The PM hoped Hamza would soon make Pakistan’s squash team unbeatable again. He also told Hamza Khan’s parents, teacher, and team members how proud he was of them. President Arif Alvi remembered that Pakistan “had a supremacy in squash that had never been seen before and has never been seen since.”
“Hamza Khan has recalled the victory of 1986 World Squash Champion Jan Sher Khan,” said PM Shehbaz.
“I think that it should not have taken us so many years for this victory. In the past, Pakistan had its own position in squash and should have had continuous victories because of the level we used to play at,” said Jahangir. He added that it was not too late, and Pakistan could regain its lost glory.
“We can improve squash and run it on merit. People running squash should be experts and [be appointed on] merit,” said the former squash player. He lamented that it was a pity that Hamza’s coach could not go with him to the tournament.
“If the [squash] federation is run in a professional manner, [Pakistan] can win every year. There is no shortage of talent in Pakistan,” said Jahangir.
