Pak pick 2 teens for Davis Cup tie against India

Lahore, November 20

Pakistan were forced to pick two 17-year-olds for their Davis Cup encounter against a full-strength Indian squad after senior players Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Aqeel Khan pulled out, protesting against the tie being shifted to a neutral venue. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has shifted the November 29-30 tie from Islamabad to Kazakhstan capital Nur-Sultan.

The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) named teenagers Huzaifa Abdul Rehman and Shoaib Khan for the tie. Rehman is ranked 446 and Khan 1004 in the junior ITF rankings. Two other teenagers, Yousuf Khan and Ahmad Kamil, are part of the squad, which also includes Amjad. With Pakistan’s top players Aisam and Aqeel absent, PTF was left with no option but to pick juniors. “It could have been a good tie but for India. We are sending junior players. Our senior Davis Cup team is not coming. We are sending our junior Davis Cup team. They are all 16-17 years old and will gain some experience,” PTF president Salim Saifullah Khan said.

“India wanted to win this tie, so now they can win this tie easily. Everyday hundreds of Indians are coming to Pakistan. Our hotels in Islamabad are full of Indians but the six Indian players can’t come. It’s a shame,” Khan added.

In their last Davis Cup tie, Pakistan hosted Uzbekistan in April 2018. In that contest, apart from Aqeel and Aisam, Muzammil Murtaza, Heera Ashiq and Shahzad Khan were part of the Pakistan squad, which lost 0-4. Also last year, Pakistan beat South Korea 4-0 at home.

Since 2017, Pakistan hosted four Davis Cup teams, with Hong Kong being the only team that decided against travelling to Islamabad.

Asked to comment on the situation, the 39-year-old Aqeel said: “We have not let down our team and nation, I don’t think so. The Pakistan federation is also supporting us. This is a moral stand that we have taken. It’s not that wherever you throw us, we will go and play. In the past also ITF has taken a few decisions that went against us.”

‘On principle’

“We are also standing somewhere. We are also playing in Group I,” he added. “We have maintained our position by beating some good teams in Asia zone. Aisam and I were very clear in our stance that if the tie is played outside, we won’t play.”

Aqeel questioned why India were given a walkover when Australia refused to travel to India in May 2009, in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack the previous year.

“Why the tie was not played on a neutral venue at that time and India were given a walkover?” he asked. “We wanted a good competition. Indian tennis federation and Indian team have missed out on an opportunity to receive incredible hospitality and security by refusing to visit Islamabad. We don’t understand, thousands of people are coming here, then what was the problem with this Indian team?” — PTI