The Jonah Barrington Column: August 2023

One of the sport’s greatest thinkers and a pioneer for the professional game, Jonah Barrington offers his thoughts on all of squash’s biggest talking points in his monthly column – written exclusively for the PSA World Tour website.

In this month’s column, Jonah discusses the recently-concluded WSF World Junior Squash Championships and the impending return of the PSA World Tour.

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By Jonah Barrington

The quiet period – was it? – for our game is almost over.

We’ve just had a stunning World Junior Championships in Australia with the top seeds in the boys overturned and, at the death, the first triumph for a young Pakistani since Jansher Khan in 1986.

There was almost inevitable controversy (that seems automatic these days) as well as another remarkable young Egyptian prodigy starting to break records.

I have waited in vain for a revival of squash fortunes in Pakistan, so Hamza Khan’s triumph, regardless of age-related finger pointing, could, and really should, herald the return of that perhaps most famous of all squash countries to the international scene.

Just where has it been? I have talked to, been coached by, seen and played a stream of wonderful Pakistani stars with the two greatest players ever, Jahangir and Jansher, seemingly disappearing in the mists of time.

What happened? I could write a book about Hashim [Khan] and Roshan [Khan] and we know that their country has suffered enormous strife over so many years. But the time must finally have been reached when our sport emerges once more as a consistent force [in Pakistan].

Then I come to that other historical squash country, Egypt, so dominant in recent years, and Amina Orfi is patently a test already for those seeking success at the top end of a very remarkable women’s game.

I saw the first Egyptian girl to play competitively in England, Salma Shabana (recognise the name, ring a bell?), now we have these three superstars (Nouran Gohar, Nour El Sherbini and Hania El Hammamy – please never forget Raneem El Welily too) and a flood of young players.

Perhaps one day Pakistan’s restrictive culture will finally open its doors and we will be privy to the female squash talent that has so rarely seen the light of day.  

What about Australia? 

I read Mike Dale’s piece on the Australian game down under a while back. It is always essential to know what Sarah Fitz-Gerald has to say, she was such. Great player. Sarah Fitz worked tirelessly for the cause of women’s pro squash (and probably still does) and it is so good to see a major junior event on show following the upgraded Australian Open last year.

The history may not be as long as its brethren in the northern hemisphere, but that briefer history glitters with gold.

There was the Hunt/Hiscoe generation, through to David Palmer, and I have to say Johnny White (apologies to Scotland!) and many other very significant players all inside the top 20 and making the top 10.

The times have indeed changed but our sport never dies – revival please.   

Elsewhere, who in the global sporting world polarises opinion more than Mostafa Asal?

I just wish many more leading players would recognise that there is a mission to be fulfilled off the court as well as dividing their best endeavours in our famed indoor arena.

It is a privilege to play sport as a living and of course it does constitute a proper job.

Let’s face it, it beats what takes place in the real world and there is a responsibility on our stellar group to also find ways to promote squash, a game which has precious few outlets in the media.

100 years ago, or thereabouts, I had 20-plus strong contacts with editors, (sports mainly), on TV and newspapers.

That was to my considerable benefit publicity-wise as well as financially.

James Willstrop has always utilised his immeasurable skills in that regard but too many over the years have done so minimally. It’s time to change.

Now that Marwan has rather predictably, and with proper pragmatism, nailed his colours to the English mast, perhaps David Campion should now prepare a red tracksuit top for Mostafa. Let’s face it, what a team it would be then!

The maverick Egyptian, a football fanatic but ill at ease in the upper reaches of the Cairo squash circle, would also be a dead ringer for my team from the cradle, Chelsea.

Joel [Makin] would doubtless veto a nice move to the Welsh valleys.

The Scots lost Peter Nicol to England – he never did look right in a kilt – and Mostafa would look pretty magnificent in one with these monstrous trailing legs.

Incidentally, I never saw Johnny White (a free transfer from Aussie) in a kilt!

I played for Ireland and loved it but could have run out for England (too snotty and all-white clothing), Wales (through my mother), France (through William the Conqueror forebearers) and Switzerland (through a dozen relatives that I never met) and not forgetting Cornwall (birthplace and a country in itself!).

So why not? The squash transfer window never closes!

Happy days, everybody!