Pakistan demonstrated yet again that expensive coaches and more money is not what is going to get us the golden glory

IT should have been a much better year, in cricket and hockey at least. After all, Pakistan was hosting the services of two of the games well known names; Englishman Bob Woolmer and Dutchman Roelant Oltmans. But as it turned out, 2004 didn’t produce the golden performances that we had so eagerly been looking forward to.

To begin with the two foreign coaches whose services were hired on hefty perks by the heavyweights of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), failed miserably in their assignment. The pathetic performance in Colombo’s Asia Cup, the triangular series in Holland and the Champions’ Trophy in England exposed all tall claims of officials in just 365 days. These defeats were preceded by disappointing performance in which Pakistan, hosted and lost the three Test rubber to arch rivals India 1-2 , their first ever series loss against India at home.

Similar disappointing results in hockey (Athens Olympics and the Champions Trophy) begged for more answers.

Once again Pakistan returned empty-handed from the Olympics. But thankfully, the thrice postponed 9th SAF Games finally took place. Pakistan improved its ranking as well as successfully organized and managed the games. We also brought home the Junior Word Squash title, but the individual title, sadly eluded us.

CRICKET: It was an agonizing year for cricket as half a dozen foreign experts led by Bob Woolmer could not help and change the fortunes of the cricket team. Woolmer was hired in June to replace former batting maestro, Javed Miandad, who carried out duties until the team lost both One-day Internationals (ODIs) and Test series to the visiting Indians at home.

Others who were invited by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) included Barry Richards, Greg Chappel, Daryl Foster, Murray Stevenson and Darryn Lifson.

Pakistan kicked off 2004 with a humiliating 1-4 defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the five ODI away series. Then Wolmer’s boys lost the Test series in Australia, 2-1. In-between, Pakistan failed to even make it to the final of the Asia Cup while it hosted India for the first full series in 15 years.

The visitors not only clinched both the series — ODI 3-2 and Tests 2-1 — they also defeated Pakistan for the first time on their soil. Thereafter though, Pakistan dominated India throughout the year. Of the other milestones that were achieved in the series, Virender Sehwag’s triple century in the Multan Test was probably the best. He thus became the first Indian and so far is the only one to score a 300 in a Test match.

Though Pakistan managed to beat India when the two clashed in a group match of the Asia Cup, the defending champions failed to make it to the final at Colombo. Sri Lanka beat India by 25 runs in the final.

Pakistan and India met again in Holland; this time again Pakistan walked away the winner by 66 runs before going down to Australia by 17 runs in the tri-series final. Pakistan’s fifth win against India came in the ICC Champions Trophy, in England. But the men in green were humbled by the eventual winners West Indies in the semi-final by seven wickets.

Sri Lanka went on to clinch the tri-series beating the hosts by 119 runs in the final at Gaddafi Stadium. The competition was followed by two Tests between the two that resulted in a one-all draw.

Pakistan once again got the better of India, this time before a surprisingly hostile crowd in Kolkata, by six wickets in an ODI. The match was organized to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the BCCI.

Administratively, PCB saw the departure of Ramiz Raja while former diplomat Shahryar M. Khan took charge of the board.

Pakistan did, however, win the Under-19 world championship, beating West Indies by 25 runs at Dhaka in March. A little earlier, Pakistan added another feather to their cap when they dethroned India by six wickets to lift the Under-17 Asia Cup.

In the domestic circuit, Habib Bank annexed the Patron’s Trophy One-Day Cup, beating holders PIA by 131 runs while the PTCL won Patron’s Trophy when they notched up a three-wicket win over Wapda. Faisalabad took the unique double of capturing the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the One-Day cup.

The women cricketers (Shaiza group) played a one-off Test against the visiting West Indies while later in the year, PCB appointed Mrs Meera Phailbus as convener of its women wing aimed at monitoring their affairs.

HOCKEY: Dutch coach Oltmans whose services were hired by the PHF at the fag end of 2003, for a year, failed to mould the outfit into a winning combination. The result, we are still not Olympic and Champions Trophy champions. Pakistan finished 5th at Athens where Australia crowned itself for the first time as the Olympic Champions beating after beating champions Holland 2-1. Germany took the bronze. In the classification matches that followed, the green shirts trounced India 3-0 and had the better of New Zealand 4-2 to secure the 5th spot.

At the Champions’ Trophy Pakistan lost two important pool games against the Dutch 1-4 and Spain 0-3. Their victories came against Germany 3-1, against New Zealand 3-1 and against India 2-1. Yet again, Pakistan had the better of India, in the play-off, winning their match for the bronze. This is their third successive bronze in the Champions’ Trophy while the Spaniards went on to clinch their maiden Champions’ Trophy title inflicting 4-2 defeat on Holland.

Pakistan’s chances to secure a bronze could have become bleak had Olympic champion Australia been there. The Aussies stayed away from the competition citing security fears. Their place was filled by seventh ranked India.

Pakistan also lost the final of the 13th Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament, going down 3-4 to Australia.

Pakistan and India clashed in 15 matches during the year, including the eight-Test series (home and away). Pakistan emerged victorious in eleven with India winning two. The remaining two matches ended in a draw.

Ace striker Sohail Abbas etched his name in the hockey hall of fame when he eclipsed Holland’s Paul Litjens record of 267 goals during the second leg of Pak-India home and away series, thus claiming the title of the most goals scored by an individual. By the end of the year though, Sohail had called it a day; as did skipper Waseem Ahmed the former skipper Muhammad Nadeem.

The Indian juniors proved their ascendancy when they carved out a convincing 5-2 win over Pakistan to lift the Junior Asia Cup at Karachi’s Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium.

Earlier, prior to the junior Asia Cup, Pakistan were engaged in two series; the four-match series against the Dutch ended in a two-all draw while Pakistan made a clean sweep (4-0) against Malaysia.

Pakistan’s women hockey players played a four-match series against the visiting Kazakhstan at Lahore, going down 1-3. However, the planned participation of the women’s junior team, in the 4th Junior Asia Cup was cancelled at the eleventh hour, this after the PHF had incurred a huge sum of money on their training camps.

On the domestic scene, NBP retained the national junior hockey championship beating PTCL 3-1.

PTCL, however, made amends when they clinched the national Under-20 title, beating Pakistan Army 4-2. PTCL also won the national departmental qualifying rounds while WAPDA won the Hazara Cup.

In a late development, the President of the PHF, Gen. (retd) Mohammed Aziz Khan has relinquished the charge of the federation. The incumbent, a nominee of PM Shaukat Aziz is Mr Tariq Kirmani, MD, PSO.

SQUASH: Pakistan re-emerged on the world squash horizon by reaching the zenith in the World Junior Squash Championship (team event) in 2004. Seeded on top in the 22-nation competition, Pakistan successfully retained the team title, won earlier at Chennai two years back, disposing off Egypt 2-1 in the final played at the newly constructed Mushaf Squash Complex, Islamabad.

The Egyptians, however, had some consolation when Ramy Ashour clinched the individual crown by having the better of Pakistan’s Yasir Butt 9-5, 10-8, 9-3 in straight sets. The senior team also won accolades by capturing the Asian title, inflicting 2-1 defeat on Malaysia at Kuala Lumpur whilst the Pakistani women outfit had to be content with seventh position.

Top foreign players visited the country to feature in international tournaments. England’s Adrian Grant captured the Chief of the Army Staff International squash title, Azlan Iskandar of Malaysia annexed the Chief of the Air Staff squash title while the Chief of the Naval Staff squash title went to Malaysian Ong Beng Hee. While James Willstrop of England won the Pakistan Open Squash Championship.

SNOOKER: The three test Peace Snooker Series played between Pakistan and India at Chandigarh was more than the competition for the fraternity of the baize game. It was the main attraction of the year.

Though at the end the hosts made a clean sweep having won the first test 4-3, second 5-2 and third 6-1, the visitors were overwhelmed by the warmth of hospitality, love and affection they received across the border. This was the return visit with Pakistan having won the Peace Cup at home.

Veteran Muhammed Yousuf and Imran Shahzad represented the country in the 20th Asian meet at Jordan while Saleh and Khurram featured in the World Championship held at Veldhoven, Holland, However, one feels sorry to say that none of them lived up to their reputation.

On the domestic front, off the five ranking events, Muhammed Yousuf won the National Championship, Saleh Muhammed clinched the Snooker Cup, Rambel Gul (the find of the year) annexed the 8th Style Cup, Naveen Perwani lifted the Latif Master’s Cup and Imran Shahzad won the National Billiards title.

BOXING: Other than hockey, boxing is the only other discipline that harbours any hopes of an Olympic medal for Pakistan. The boxers have performed tremendously in the past and in return, got step-motherly treatment. But despite blessings, in terms of Rs10 million financial assistance and cash rewards for pugilists by none other than President General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan Boxing Federation failed to deliver the goods where it matters and instead, kept on counting the glories of the yesteryear. And then there was the ban on Karim to contend with.

None of our five participating pugilists, Asghar Ali Shah, Mehrullah, Sohail Baloch, Faisal Karim and Ahmed Ali Khan. could match the brilliance of former great, Hussain Shah, the only boxer in the country’s history to win an Olympic medal, a bronze, at Seoul in 1988. An underage boxer, identified as Ali Muhammad, was sent for a joyride to Jeju, South Korea, in the World Junior Boxing Championship. He was disqualified. The expenses of five boxers and two officials were met by the Karachi Port Trust.

Pakistan also made its presence felt in the inaugural World Universiad Boxing Championship held in Antolia, Turkey. Asghar Ali Shah secured a bronze in the 64kg while Qarar Hussain returned empty-handed in 57kg. The trip was financed by Higher Education Commission.

TENNIS: Two back-to-back defeats, both 5-0 whitewash against Thailand and Taiwan, followed by solitary wins against New Zealand, enabled Pakistan to retain their place in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone, Group 1.

The defeats occurred as the country’s ace player Aisam-ul-Haq pulled out because of a row over payments with the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF).

Aisam, who is ranked 193rd in the world and 5th in Asia, won two international doubles titles and a singles title abroad besides featuring in a number of competitions.

Aqeel who improved by leaps and bounds in the recent past clinched the Indian National Open Tennis Tournament at New Delhi overcoming Vinod Sridhar 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1. Earlier, he featured in the Indian Satellite Circuit.

Pakistan’s No 1 Aqeel continued his impressive run of victories in the ITF Satellite, winning the 1st leg and the 3rd leg that culminated with a doubles crown in the Master’s.

Aisam and Aqeel Khan came face-to-face once in the National Open tennis at Lahore in which the former overcome a stiff resistance from his opponent before chalking up a 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 win in 150-minute battle. This was Aisam’s first appearance in a national tournament in seven years.

In the absence of Aisam, Aqeel dominated the domestic scene, pocketing five titles — Greener Pakistan (clay court), Governor’s Cup, Anti-tobacco, Pakistan Open and Salma Noorani Cup, while Nomi Qamar annexed the Caltex Open and Federal Cup.

As far as women are concerned, Mariam Rahim won the National Open, Nida Wasim (STA Women’s Classic and Pakistan Open), Nausheen Ehtisham (Greener Pakistan), Zarmeen Shoaib (Caltex Open), Sana Bhagat (Anti-tobacco) and Aamna Hameed (Salma Noorani Cup).