When I started to play the game in early 80’s he was already a legend – someone whose exploits reached our attention only through Sports Magazines occasionally covered the game 18-20 years ago and the newspaper never had Squash on their agenda.

He was known as the “Magician” – with amazing rackets skills.  Born in Quetta in the year 1952, to Mohammed Ayub in Balochistan in the North West Frontier Province. He like his predecessor and successors from the region played some of the best Squash that the world has seen for many years.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am talking about another Khan Icon – someone who changed the way squash was played and someone who got Zaman imprinted between the Legendary Khans in Squash’s International Hall of Fame

“Making A Point”

I was visiting our own Indian Squash Academy in Chennai – where I had been invited to refer matches at the recently concluded World Junior’s Boys and Girls. Accompanying the Pakistan Junior Contingent as their Coach cum Manager – Qamar Zaman.

A tight match schedule kept me away for him, and his likes – Rahmat Khan, Anthony Rickets, and Sara Fitzgerald among others. It was only after individual events got over and I saw him sitting alone for Breakfast one morning at Hotel Abu Palace – the place where I was staying as well.

With the number of matches reduced – and reporting deferred until after lunch I realized that this would be my day. I picked up my fruit bowl and excused myself next to him. During the course of the next couple of hours we discussed many things including Squash Then & Now and about this trip to India.

I was not taking his interview but was only there trying to bathe in the some of the Sun Shine of his illustrious career. Some of the topics that were discussed have been classified below;

• I remember started by asking him about the Sorry State of the sport in Pakistan – A country which still holds the record of producing maximum number of World Champions.  Sheer “LACK OF COMMITTMENT & DISCIPLINE” was all he said.
• Elaborating this he started discussing his own son Mansoor Zaman who is presently playing the PSA and represents Pakistan. According to Qamar – he has never understood how his son could practice keeping an eye on his watch.  ”I was luck” he said, “because watches were not in vogue during my days”. Besides my father had to feed many children and never had extra money to permit such luxuries.

On his own style of play. His superior stroking ability left players from across the world bewildered. “Firstly they could not pick up my shots he said and rarely when someone did manage to do so – they would end up hitting the ball always back to me enabling me finish the point.

“The Wizard of Quetta at Work”

Secret of the Zaman Magic

On how he managed to do bewilder opponents – he just shared the following:-

• He said he would be on the court for hours and hours just trying to rediscover him, the racket, squash ball, and the court. People who saw him as a kid practicing alone in the court called him CRAZY.
• It was here that he discussed the “broken ball”. According to him since his father had many mouths to feed in the family – Squash Balls were not easy to buy. 
• Qamar Zaman said if there was ever a secret to his game, it was his playing with a taped broken ball – since his father could not afford a new one. My eyes glittered for a moment – as even I remembered doing the same as squash balls were not easy on my pocket money when I played the game as a kid.
• It was this altered ball conditioned that enabled him to hone racket skills – that the world has not been able to see again.  
• When his problem turned into an opportunity even he did not realize then. But in the process he mastered the drop shot to perfection. 
• His hunger for the game kept him on the court irrespective of the problems he would have faced. And Qamar said he would sit on the floor next to the TIN and with a ball in his hands run it along the height of the TIN  – as if memorizing its height.

“The Master in Action”

As we continued our discussions another friend of mine Mr. Ronney came and joined us for break fast. By now both Qamar and me had finished ours and were getting up for our cup of tea. Ronney is the brother of Honey Sherman – one of the pretiest face who played some agressive Squash in early and mid 80’s. 

• When Ronney spoke about Honey – Qamar straight away went on to ask Ronney about her welfare and what she was doing. Ronney even got Qamar to speak with his sister who was in Jaipur.
• Qamar’s humility had put both me and now Ronney at great ease. We felt as if we were in the company of our regular friends.
• The topic in between changed to “Chai” (Tea). We were all discussing how this hotel did not give “Karak Chai” (Strong Tea) something all of us from the sub-continent are so used to drinking.
• We spoke about traditional sweet – “Jalebi” – which I told Qamar my father would have daily after his work – out. Dad was a middle distance runner and ate little more than one kilo of Jalebi and drank one liter milk everyday.
• Jalebi – was something that Qamar also indulged in. Focus of our conversation changed to how modern lifestyles have changed our eating habits and diet.
• Here Qamar mentioned how he would complain to his begum (wife) that their son Mansoor would use a car to go to the Squash Court for training. “Why can’t the bugger use a cycle or run?” he would ask her mentioning that this is all he did when he trained. She reminded him that if his father owned a car even Zaman would have been using it like Mansoor.
• I drew his attention towards Shahid Zaman – talk about how politics in the sport has affected Shahids game.
• Qamar – explained that the game is played between two players – and it is always the better player who wins. If you play well you win and NO ONE keeps a winner out of the team.

As we got up and started walking up the stairs to our rooms – I asked Qamar about his limp. He said this is due to excessive use of the hip joint and this would need a replacement to correct.  I advised him acupressure to release the stress and pain in his hip and briefly the topic changed to traditional / alternate remedies as were suggested by Grand Mothers in each home.

If any of you did not know what Mr. Qamar Zaman has achieved on the Squash Court – please read the following…..

Here are some career highlights

1. He was one of the leading players in the game in the 1970s and 1980s. His biggest triumph was winning the British Open in 1975.
2. Qamar won the Pakistan junior squash championship in 1968. On his first trip to the United Kingdom in 1973, he reached the semi-finals of the British Amateur championship. In 1974, he reached the semi-finals of the British Open and won the Australian Amateur championship.
3. In the 1975 British Open, Qamar beat the defending-champion Geoff Hunt of Australia in the quarter-finals, and went on to win the title beating his fellow Pakistani player Gogi Alauddin in the final 9-7, 9-6, 9-1.
4. Subsequently, Qamar reached the British Open final on four further occasions. He was runner-up to Hunt in 1978, 1979 and 1980, and to Jahangir Khan in 1984. He was also runner-up at the World Open four times, losing to Hunt in the finals of 1976, 1979 and 1980, and to Jahangir in 1984.

Later I came to know that the Pakistani Team was to leave for home. Since I had not taken any photographs – I retuned to the hotel in the evening around 8.30 pm and called Qamar’s in his room to see if I could go across and take a few snaps of him.

The phone kept ringing for sometime and got answered by a sleepy Mr. Zaman, when I asked him if I could come in take some photo’s – “I am sleeping – let us do it tomorrow morning” he said. 

They were to leave the following morning for the airport at around 6.00 am.  I asked for a wake-up call and was up in the lobby as I saw bell boys loading the luggage of the Pakistani contingent.

Mr. Zaman walked greeting me and came and sat next to me. His PARTING TIP - ”early to bed early to rise “.

I managed a few pictures as we were joined by Dhiraj Singh and Vijay to fellow referees. All of us chatted and then the disciplined soldier got up and shook hands with all of us before boarding the bus to the airport.

Qamar Zaman

Qamar Zaman with the Author