BY the time these lines appear in print, the Asia Cup would have gone under way. I generally avoid unnecessarily putting my neck on the line by talking about what might happen — dealing, instead, with what should happen — but in this case I cannot resist the temptation of saying that nothing but an outright victory is on the cards. And there are reasons to nurture such hopes.
One, the only opponent worth its name in the pool stage is India. Two, even India is expected to be without Jugraj Singh who was Pakistan’s nemesis at the Champions Trophy by way of playing not just aggressive but daring hockey with his penalty-corner rushouts that totally neutralized Sohail Abbas. Three, with Pakistan leading the group — which it should — it is likely to come up against Malaysia, which is a serious but not a threatening prospect. So, a place in the final is there for the taking where it shall come up against either India or South Korea. With all the pressure that is part of any tournament final, it is not a misplaced hope that Pakistan will be able to hold its nerves, and clinch the title.
When Pakistan was leaving for the Champions Trophy, I had put a modest target: a place at the victory stand. For the Asia Cup, we have to take the ‘stand’ out of the equation, and settle for nothing less than a straight victory.
I say this also because of the recent remarks I saw in the media of captain Nadeem ND and manager Abdul Rashid Jr. who both said they were confident of a victory, because, in their view, the team management had taken care of all the flaws that were found in the team, especially in the defence, during the Champions Trophy. I hope that is the case, and wish them luck.
Also in the media I saw a number of reports and comments that suggested that a victory in the Asia Cup would mean direct qualification for the next Olympics. As far a my understanding is concerned, this is a wrong impression. A gold medal at the Asian Games is the only way for a direct qualification. However, a gold medal at the Asia Cup would mean a guaranteed berth at the next World Cup, which, by no means, is a small thing, and Pakistan would hopefully keep that in mind.
But even on its own, the Asia Cup represents Pakistan’s best chance to clinch a major title that would end a serious drought that has plagued Pakistan hockey for several years. We have improved in the last few years in the sense that every now and then we finish among the top three, but that should not be enough.
The competition in the world is getting intense with each passing day. A clear picture of it can be had from the fact that Holland, which finished at the top in the Champions Trophy with impressive ease, could only finish third in the European Champions Cup where Germany clinched the title and a place in the Olympics. Even Spain finished ahead of Holland, and the final as well as the third place playoff were decided on penalty strokes.
With such intense competition, Pakistan not just has to clear the backlog, but also keep pace with the rest of the hockey-playing nations. A victory at the Asia Cup will give the team and the PHF management a confidence boost that will help them streamline their act for the gruelling assignments ahead.
BY the time these lines appear in print, the Asia Cup would have gone under way. I generally avoid unnecessarily putting my neck on the line by talking about what might happen — dealing, instead, with what should happen — but in this case I cannot resist the temptation of saying that nothing but an outright victory is on the cards. And there are reasons to nurture such hopes.
