KARACHI: Pakistan squash’s big-three are looking to make their presence felt in the Hi-Tec World Squash Championships in Manchester next week, even though odds are heavily stacked against them.

No Pakistan player has even come close to winning the world title since 1996 when Jansher Khan clinched the trophy for a record eighth time on home soil in Karachi.The form book suggests that Pakistan’s title draught in international squash’s premier event will continue in Manchester which will be hosting the World Championships featuring the world’s elite men and women players from October 13-19.

Pakistan’s number one Farhan Mahboob heads his country’s cast in the main rounds of the tournament while two of his compatriots — Aamir Atlas Khan and Manzoor Zaman — will also appear directly in the main draw.

Farhan, 20, rose to a career-high No. 26 last month but is currently sitting at the No. 29 spot on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings.The Peshawar-based Farhan, who is a nephew of Jansher Khan, meets Frenchman Julien Balbo in the opening round on Monday. Balbo, 30, is currently ranked No. 45 in the world.

A victory over Balbo is likely to earn Farhan a second round clash with Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema, the event’s 15th seed.Aamir Atlas, 20, might get an easier opening game at the National Sports Centre at Manchester’s fabulous Sports City as he is scheduled to meet a qualifier.

Aamir, who rose to a career-high No. 23 this July, recently reached the semifinals of the Wolverhampton Open in England but crashed out of the US$30,000 event in a disappointing manner as he was thrashed in straight games by Anjema.

A first round win will is expected to put Aamir, No. 34, in the path of Egyptian 7th seed Karim Darwish in Tuesday’s second round.Pakistan’s most experienced player in the main draw is the 28-year-old Mansoor Zaman. The crafty left-hander from Peshawar is a son of Qamar Zaman and was once touted as a future world champion. But after scaling the world squash rankings to reach a career-high No. 11 in the summer of 2003, Mansoor has been inconsistent at best.

However, the world no. 37 has a good chance of winning his opening round match against veteran Australian John White. At 35, White, a father of four, is one of the most experienced players on the circuit. A former world number one, White is currently placed at No. 17 in the world rankings.

“I’ll give my best against him (White),” Mansoor told ‘The News’ from Manchester on Friday. “I know that John White is a highly experienced pro but I’ll be going all out for a victory against him,” he added.

A few other Pakistani players will be featuring in the two-day qualifying rounds getting under way from Saturday (today).Former Pakistan number one Shahid Zaman, Shamsul Islam Khan and teenager Waqar Mehboob will be eyeing main round berths when they compete in the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, England number one James Willstrop prepares to lead the home interest in the World Championships, acknowledging that “it’s probably one of the biggest events I’ll ever play in”.

The championship is the first in the UK to combine both the Men’s World Open and Women’s World Open. Willstrop, the 25-year-old world number three from Leeds, is third seed in the men’s event — and keen to become only the second man in history to add the senior title to the World Junior Championship crown he won six years ago.

His preparations have been hampered by an ankle injury — but, in spite of losing at the semifinals stage in the Internationaux de France last month, Willstrop was happy with his performance in France’s equivalent of the British Open.

“The ankle is OK — I’ve worked hard on it with my Physio and it feels fine. I’ve done everything I can,” explained the top-ranked Englishman. “If anything, what happened in France enhanced my plans — I wanted some good games and I got them.”

With squash looking to achieve its long-awaited wish to be part of the Olympic Games programme, delegates from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will visit the Manchester World Championships as part of the process which will lead to a decision for the 2016 Games being made next year.

“I don’t understand what more we can do to convince the IOC that our sport deserves to be in the Games,” urged Willstrop. “We can’t give them anymore than we’ll give them in Manchester — the tournament will be outrageously good. This is the best place to see it.”

Men’s favourite Amr Shabana, the world number one from Egypt seeking to become only the fourth player in history to win the World Open title for a fourth time, faces a qualifier in the opening round.

In the women’s event, world number one Nicol David is favourite to reclaim the title she lost to Australian Rachael Grinham last year. The two-time champion from Malaysia takes on compatriot Sharon Wee in the first round.