Pakistan — once the most successful nation in the squash world — are hoping to win back the world junior titles in Belgium next month, something which their head coach Jansher Khan believes would put the country’s squash back on track.

Pakistan have a number of capable youngsters but neither of them seems to be good enough to stop Egypt's Amr Khaled Khalifa from becoming only third man in history to win the title twice when he defends his crown in the Men's World Junior Squash Championship in Belgium.

Led by Khalifa, Egypt will be the team to beat in the championships. Pakistan provide the two 3/4 seeds, Danish Atlas Khan and Nasir Iqbal, both 17-year-olds from Peshawar and will be hoping that the youngsters give their best in the event.

That’s the only way Pakistan can have a world junior champion for the first time since 1986 when Jansher Khan won the coveted crown. Jansher went on win a record ten World Open titles during an illustrious career that ended in the late nineties. Since then, no Pakistani player has even managed to break into top-ten rankings.

“We can regain our lost glory,” said Jansher, who is now supervising Pakistan’s preparations for the World Junior Championships as the country’s head coach. “But to do that, we need our players to work harder and harder,” he told Arab News.

Pakistan’s Danish Atlas will begin his title campaign in Belgium with a first round match against Vrishab Kotian of India in the first round. His compatriot Nasir Iqbal faces Yousif Ali of Kuwait in his opening match. Pakistan’s Salman Mohib will also feature in the tournament but as an unseeded player.

Meanwhile, Khalifa has been named as top seed in the 2011 championship, which will take place at the Flemish Squash Center in Herentals from 13-17 July.

Khalifa will be aiming to maintain Egypt's unbroken grip on the trophy since 2004, when Ramy Ashour won the first of his record-making two titles, followed by history-repeating double-title victories by Mohamed El Shorbagy in 2008 and 2009.

And it will be Mohamed's brother Marwan El Shorbagy who is expected to provide Khalifa's stiffest opposition in Belgium. The 17-year-old from Alexandria is seeded to meet the title-holder in the final in a repeat of the 2010 championship's semifinal in Ecuador, where Khalifa won in five games.

Players from 19 nations will compete in the 18th staging of the WSF championships.