We are the Brazil of squash, says Egypt coach

Offence wins you games, but defence wins you championships is a well-known comment in sports. But Egypt squash juniors’ coach Haitham Ashoush does not believe in this and said the African nation’s success is mainly due to its attacking play.

The top four seeds in the men’s juniors and the top two seeds in the women’s juniors of the ongoing World Junior Squash Championship here are from the ‘Gift of the Nile’, making an all-Egyptian final in both the individual events if seedings are anything to go by. 

“I compare our game play with that of football for easier understanding. If you look at the Italian (football) team, they are very good in defence and play on the counter. Germany (squash team) has a structure where defence is given a lot of importance. But, we love to attack a lot like Brazil (football team),” opined Haitham.   

When speaking about what sets apart Egypt from other squash playing nations in the world, the former PSA player drew parallels with the cricket scene in India. “I have been asked the same question many times (laughs). We have a model which is different from others. Our base is huge and it is extremely difficult for us (as coaches) to pick the top 10 players in each of the age categories. It is similar to cricket in India, where the country is one of the best because of the volume of resources it has.”  

“In terms of facilities, it is same as that of other countries. We have got top-quality courts, physios, physical trainers and conditioning coaches,” added Haitham. 

The Egyptian asserted that majority of the squash community is based in Cairo and Alexandria, enabling players to commute to different venues on a daily basis without much fuss. “90% of the squash players come from two cities and that really helps us. It is easier to move to other parts of the city as it hardly takes an hour. As a result, one gets to practice with different opponents and improve their game,” he said. 

Haitham could once again face a strange scenario where two of his wards would give it all to claim top spot in both individual events. Commenting on how he approaches such situations, he stated, “When they play against each other, I just wish luck to both of them. I will have to be fair and treat them individually the same, be it training or during the match. This is sport where only one can come up trumps. It is a bizarre scenario where I will be happy and sad at the same time. At the end of the day, both of them are my lads.”