Age no barrier for Pakistani paddlers

Age is just a number for the Pakistani table tennis team here for the 12th South Asian Games.
They have the 45+ duo of Shabnam Bilal and Raheela Khalif, who helped the women's team win the silver, 12 years after they had claimed the same feat at the Games' 2004 edition in Islamabad.
Pakistan also has the 'unstoppable' Asim Qureshi, who at 51 calls himself 'the oldest player of the world', an intrinsic member of the men's team who won bronze.
Playing for more than 25 years, Bilal is a mother of two.
"I've seen them playing against (veteran) Mantu Ghosh years back," five-time former national champion Mouma Das remarked of the Pakistani women's duo after the Indian team won the gold against them.

As for Qureshi, one of the players the 51-year-old had played against in the past is the current coach of the Indian team Arup Basak, a former national champion himself.

"The gap between the senior players and the juniors, especially in the women's section is huge. They're winning medals, and we cannot do without them also," vice-president of the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation Salim Ahmed told PTI on the sidelines of the 12th South Asian Games here.
"A medal at the SA Games means a lot to us. If we had picked any other player in place of Qureshi, we could not have won the bronze also," he added.

Pakistan in fact narrowly lost to his Sri Lankan opponent 3-2 to miss a silver narrowly.
"He's (Qureshi) also running an academy in Lahore for two years. They're paying back in one way also. Many youngsters look up to him."
Over his long career, Qureshi said he had played in over 50 international tournaments, including 16 world championships and has won 60 tournaments, mostly domestic.
"Table tennis is very difficult and my style is very different from others... But over the years, I have developed new ideas, new styles and my push is very good," Qureshi said.
"And at 51, there is no problem with fitness. God has helped me," he signed off.