THE other day, I was talking to national coaches Abdul Rashid Jr. and Shahid about the team’s preparation for the Champions Trophy. It was nice to note that both of them were very clear about the objectives in their mind. The target, they said, was the victory stand, which basically means a place among the top three sides.
Keeping in mind the performance of the team in the last few years, there would be many who would call it wishful thinking, but, as I see it, the team does have a realistic chance of making it to the victory stand.
I have reasons more than one to have faith in the team’s potential. First, the key players are back in the fold, and that would make it easier for the unit to compensate for the odd performance it had delivered in Australia recently. The team management has also undergone a major change. So there will be that much less connectivity with the past.
Second, the German decision to send its second-string side to the Champions Trophy is also going to favour Pakistan. As it seems at the time of writing these lines, Pakistan will have two relatively easy matches, against Germany and Argentina. The key matches will be against Australia, Germany and India.
Contests between Pakistan and India, traditionally, are anybody’s game because the pressure on both the teams happen to be enormous, and t becomes as much a test of nerves and mental toughness as it is of hockey skills and talent. So, despite the fact that the Indian team has been on a high in the recent past, every contest with Pakistan becomes a match of equal opportunities for both the sides, and the Champions Trophy encounter will be no exception in this regard.
What it all means is that Pakistan will have only two matches where it would start as the underdogs, the ones against Australia and Holland. If Pakistan could turn the tables against either of them, it will do its chances a world of good.
Whether or not the new setup has done professional work with the team’s defences will come to light during the tournament, but it is not unrealistic to hope that the team may return home undefeated, even if it doesn’t take the gold.
Regardless of what happens at the championship, I would have liked the FIH to take action against Germany for its decision to field a second-string side instead of its national outfit. This is a step that clearly undermines the status and importance of the prestigious tournament, which is competition to decide the champions of all champions.
The Germans say they want to protect their mainstream players against injuries or fatigue during the tournament which might make them miss out on the forthcoming European Nations Cup where a victory would guarantee them a place in the next Olympics. This is surely against the spirit of sports, and by doing so, the Germans have set a bad precedent. The FIH must do something to stop such things happening in the future.
At the championship, I will be keeping a close eye on the team’s performance as I will be there in connection with a meeting of the International Hockey Federation’s Rules Board of which I am a member. By the time these lines appear in print, Pakistan would have already played its first game which is against Australia. Let’s see where the team goes from here.
THE other day, I was talking to national coaches Abdul Rashid Jr. and Shahid about the team’s preparation for the Champions Trophy. It was nice to note that both of them were very clear about the objectives in their mind. The target, they said, was the victory stand, which basically means a place among the top three sides.
