Pakistan Table Tennis Federation Wednesday announced Pakistan team for the forthcoming South Asian Table Tennis Championship to be scheduled in Karachi, Pakistan from July 15-17, 2016. This was disclosed by Secretary Pakistan Table Tennis Federation. Kifayat Ullah Orakzai while talking to media here Wednesday.
He said for selection Pakistan Table Tennis Federation conducted trials matches in Multan so ascertain the performance of the players before selection. He disclosed that players from Khyber Pakthunkhwa made a clean sweep by leading the Under-15 Boys and Girls and Under-18 Boys and Girls. The selection committee, he said, headed by Secretary Punjab Table Tennis Federation Khalid Mehmood with other members comprising Saleem Ahmad Sheikh and he himself.
The performance of the players were thoroughly monitored during the trials matches with the aim to select a good combination of team of the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship to played in two different categories comprising Under-15 and Under-18.
In the Boys Under-15 International player Umam Khawjah, hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stunned fellow players by winning all matches in a one-sided affairs. Umam Khawjah recently tour Doha, Qatar and was honoured with the most emerging player in Asia award which is a great achievement of this upcoming and promising Champion. Faizan of Punjab and Basit Ali of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the other members of the team to represent Pakistan in the Under-15 category. In the Girls Under-15 Fatima Khan of Punjab was short-listed in the team.
In the Under-18 category another promising Obaid Shah, hailing from a remote village of Kohat District, topped the Under-18 trials by securing most points. Abid Ali of Punjab, Mustafa of Punjab and Hamza Godil of Sindh were the other members of the Boys Under-18 team. In the Girls Under-18 International player Kainat Khan, who recently represented Pakistan in the Junior Asia Cup held in India, top the points list, followed by Iqra Rehman and Nirma Rehman, both hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Soon after selection a camp would be set-up either in Peshawar or in Karachi, the venue for the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship, Kifayat Ullah Orakzai said. He said earlier, Pakistani players gave good result in India, Sri Lanka and Islamabad and this time we expressed the hope that the team would show better result in both Unde-15 and Under-18 categories.