AS I write these lines, the national team has already qualified for the knockout stage of the Asian Games Hockey event. Though this was only expected, it is still better to know that they are actually there than to assume that they would be there. In saying so, I guess that defeat against the New Zealanders at the Commonwealth Games is still playing heavy on my mind. It was a shock, really.
Anyway, while the qualification was expected, the thumping manner in which the Pakistanis achieved their first target is, indeed, something that deserves a special mention.
The irony of writing this time-based column is that by the time these lines appear in print, much would have changed on the ground, as the semi-finals and the final would have already been played, and the perception about the team’s performance would have strengthened or changed accordingly.
But, as I have said repeatedly in these columns, I have to keep my deadlines, and that, at times, becomes a big hassle, as I have to write about things that have not matured yet.
At the time of writing, only the semi-final lineup has been finalized, with Pakistan having to square off against the Indians, while South Koreans, the host, are pitted against Malaysia.
As things stand today, South Koreans are almost guaranteed a place in the final, as they will have to play really, really bad hockey to lose against the Malaysians. The other semi-final, of course, will be an intense affair.
We have only recently seen the two famous rivals taking each other on twice at the Champions Trophy, with both having a win each, though Pakistan won when it mattered a bit more in terms of final team positions, and duly got the bronze medal.
Three encounters inside a couple of months between the two leading Asian teams — in fact, the pioneers of the game — is a wonderful indication that the two sides are making amends after a lengthy lean patch when neither of them was taken seriously at the international level. If they could play each other more often, it will work wonders for the game, and the modern-day crowd around the world will be able to see perhaps for the first time in their lives what Asian hockey is all about.
As for the part of the tournament that has already taken place, Pakistan did wonderfully well against China, Bangladesh and Malaysia, scoring as many as twenty-three goals and conceding only four.
As I said earlier, a victory against each of these three sides was expected. But with their huge margins of victory, Pakistanis have really underlined their position in world hockey. A huge victory margin is always the hallmark of a strong international side.
It is like forcing the follow-on and winning by an innings in cricketing parlance. It means a lot, doesn’t it?
Another good thing is that Sohail Abbas is not the lone highlight for Pakistan; the forwards are very much among the scorers, and that is a very good sign, indeed. It is difficult to say much beyond this as the national television has once again failed to bring these matches live, when, quite ironically, it had the time and resources to telecast live a meaningless cricket contest — a 15-over-a-side affair between Britain and the Rest of the World — from England. So much for the promotion of the national game!
