Today there are Khans in North America who are descendants or relatives of these great players. Last December I was fortunate enough to watch a young man (named Khan, not sure how he is related though) play in the finals of the Gold Racquet Doubles. It was one of the most perfect games of squash (by an individual) that I have ever witnessed. As far as I could tell this gentleman had completely perfect shot selection and only made two execution errors in five games of squash. If you think that is easy and everyone can do it watch a professional match and count the errors. They say Jahangir Khan had perfect shot selection. I imagine this gave me a glimpse of what he would have been like on court. I would have loved to have seen the Khans play.
Actually, come to think of it, I have a friend at my local club named Khan. He is a good guy and is a really athletic and talented man, but he is no squash champion (sorry Z). He does come from the same town though as Jansher Khan. He says that Jansher would, when reserving one of their local courts, sign his name in the booking sheets simply as *world champion*. Clearly he would have been entertaining to see in action.
I suspect the real one to watch though would have been Hashim himself. Jonah Barrington described Hashim's playing style as "unlovely and relentless". Compared with the classic style that was being played elsewhere in the world at the time, particularly in Egypt and Britain. When Hashim came onto the scene he played a "primitive and destructive game". They say Hashim tore up and down the court like a marauding savage. I imagine not unlike Genghis Khan who, eight centuries earlier, used speed and surprise on the battlefield to conquer almost the entire known world.
He was a hunter with a quick predatory approach, combining astonishing speed with naked aggression. These are words used to describe Hashim (on court), not Genghis (on the battlefield). In fact, Barrington went as far as to say that Hashim "brutalized the game" beyond anything that had ever been seen and effectively created a new style of squash. And he did this not owing to any set precedent, but purely out of raw instinct and a basic understanding of what was required to win at squash.
But why believe what is written about Hashim Khan, you can watch a movie about him for yourself next Thursday in New York. After seven years in the making the award-winning documentary - "Keep Eye on Ball: The Hashim Khan Story" tells how this warrior broke through from nowhere to conquer and rule the entire known squash world.
It should come as no surprise that the name Khan literally means King.
