BIRMINGHAM: Young Pakistani squash star Sohail Adnan said it is time for the government and sports authorities in Pakistan to shift their focus more on squash than cricket.
Adnan, 12 years old, said this while talking to Geographic News. He hails from Bahawalpur and became the first Pakistani squash player to win the gold medal in the Junior Open Squash Championship in the under-13 category after a gap of 18 years.
He defeated top seed Egyptian Moez Tamer Al-Maghazi in an exciting final that lasted for five matches at the University of Birmingham Sports Centre.
talking to Geographic News Soon after clinching the gold medal in the tournament, Adnan said that although he was extremely happy with his achievement, his ultimate goal was to win for Pakistan and God helped him achieve this goal.
“I was leading after the first match but then my opponent came back strong and took a 2-1 lead. At that time, my coach and teammates Varun and Saki really supported me. The only thing that was on my mind was that it was all about the name of my country Pakistan and its green flag, so I really focused The match was won for my country.
“My opponent was enjoying huge crowd support which was also adding to the pressure. There were also a few Pakistani fans who were outnumbered but they did not back down at all from supporting me. It was fun and I really enjoyed that pressure situation,” he further added.
The final score of Adnan’s epic match was 11-5, 5-11, 6-11, 11-7 and 11-5. After winning the championship point, Adnan did not hold back his emotions and celebrated the victory in emphatic style.
He slammed his bat down the field, pumped his fist in the air, took off his shirt and threw it into the air. Members of the small Pakistani contingent ran to the court and hoisted him onto their shoulders.
“It was a tough competition and I was under a lot of pressure. My opponent was the first seed and most of the time the final was on the brink. I actually pulled off an upset in the tournament by beating the second seed in the semi-final, so I was very excited, and in In the end, it was all about my country, Pakistan, so I decided that whatever the circumstances, I could not let go of this golden opportunity.”
He also said that he started playing squash when he was only five or six years old, and the reason for this was his family’s passion for the sport.
“Many of my family members play this game. My father plays squash and so does my uncle and many other family members. In fact, I started playing squash at a very young age as well and now it has been more than six years since I started. I spoke to my parents briefly after I won and they were Very happy and celebrating my achievement.”
The British Junior Open is the third title Adnan has won in the past year or so. Earlier, he won the Scottish Open Junior Championship and before that the Asian Open Junior Championship as well. But now he is eyeing the title of the World Junior Squash Championships which will be held in Cairo, Egypt from July to August 2025.
“Last year was very great for me as I won three junior titles but my next goal next month is to win the US Junior Championships and then the World Junior Championships as well. Becoming a world champion is my ultimate goal and for that I will give my all. For all these successes, I am grateful Thank God Almighty for blessing me with these achievements, and God willing, I will win more titles for my country.
Adnan is currently studying in eighth grade in a local school in his native city Bahawalpur, but for training, he has to travel to Lahore as there are not many squash training facilities in Bahawalpur.
Responding to a question about squash facilities, Adnan said he would ask Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the government to increase investment in squash.
“I am trying my best to balance my studies and my passion for squash. All I want to say is that cricket and few other sports in Pakistan have huge support from everyone, except squash. In Pakistan, most of the focus is on cricket, but now the authorities need to focus More on squash, there is an abundance of young talent in this game if more focus is shifted towards squash especially at school level, it could produce more champion players for Pakistan.
“The Pakistan Squash Federation and the Punjab Squash Federation supported me, but the big credit goes to my father and my coach Kashif Butt who worked hard with me. Also, Muhammad Mansoor, secretary of the Punjab Squash Federation, who came with us to England. I am grateful to everyone who supported me.”