Azam Khan (squash player)
Azam Khan (Pashto: اعظم خان; 1924 or 1925 – 28 March 2020) was a Pakistani squash player who won the British Open four times between 1959 and 1962.
Family
His brother Hashim Khan and granddaughter Carla Khan were also squash players.
Azam was the second cousin of the two other leading Pakistani players of his time Roshan Khan and Nasrullah Khan, whose sons Rehmat Khan, Torsam Khan and Jahangir Khan are also squash players. He was the uncle of Sharif Khan and Aziz.
Quotes about Khan
Jonah Barrington, the six times British Open Champion, writes in his book, Murder in Squash Court that in 1967, a fortnight before the start of British Open, his coach Nasrullah Khan took him to his club and requested him for a match/practice session. Wherein, he scored only one point in three games. Totally shaken he requested him for another session but the next day too he could not improve on it and once again scored only one point against Azam. Only three weeks later, he writes that he won the first of his Six British Open titles. And mind you Azam was then 48 years old and had left professional squash in 1962.[1]
In his article for international Squash Player Magazine Ejaz Choudhry states that "he was a great player in his own right, but for two reasons, respect for his elder brother and the loss of his on coupled with the fear of injury Azam might have been the greatest squash player of all times. Perhaps he was,[2] In a recent book "Trading Secrets" he does admit that the first time he beat his brother was with his permission, in line with the respect of the family elders, ingrained in Pushtoon culture.[3]
Death
Khan died at the age of 95 from COVID-19 in London, in the context of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.[4][5]
British Open final appearances
| Wins (4) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1959 | Mo Khan | 9-5, 9-0, 9-1 |
| 1960 | Roshan Khan | 9-1, 9-0, 9-0 |
| 1961 | Mo Khan | 6-9, 9-1, 9-4, 0-9, 9-2 |
| 1962 | Mo Khan | 9-6, 7-9, 10-8, 2-9, 9-4 |
| Runners-up (3) | ||
| Year | Opponent in final | Score in final |
| 1954 | Hashim Khan | 6-9, 9-6, 9-6, 7-9, 9-5 |
| 1955 | Hashim Khan | 9-7, 7-9, 9-7, 5-9, 9-7 |
| 1958 | Hashim Khan | 9-7, 6-9, 9-6, 9-7 |
References
- ^ Gandapur (2018), p. 163.
- ^ Gandapur (2018), pp. 166–67.
- ^ Trading Secret.
- ^ Hussain, Khalid. "Squash great Azam Khan dies of coronavirus aged 95". Geo News. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- ^ Hussain, Khalid (28 March 2020). "Squash great Azam Khan dies of coronavirus aged 95". Geo TV. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
- Gandapur, Aminullah Khan (2018). Unsung Pushtoons Book-1. Peshawar: Nabeel Traders.
External links
- The Incredible Khans of Squash Part I at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-04-27)
- The Incredible Khans of Squash Part II
- The Khan Family, A Squash Dynasty Part II
- Pakistan Squash - The Khan Supremacy Part III
- Azam Khan, Greatest of them all?
- New Grampians Squash Club, London (owned and run by Azam) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2006-12-05)
- Azam Khan at Squash Info
