THE national team has already left for Malaysia any by the time you get to read these lines, the Azlan Shah Cup would have already gone under way. Even though the team had a tough time beating the Juniors in the three-match series that brought to an end the team’s preparation for the outing, I still fancy its chances on the victory stand.
The reason I say this is because these training games do not carry much weight and it is always a folly to read too much into such affairs. The boys have their sights set on the bigger targets ahead; they want to conserve energy; and in any case they take their juniors lightly, which is quite understandable. But the senior team, at least in the eyes of Pakistan Hockey Federation, is the best they could have selected, and I agree to the most part with the single exception of Kashif Jawwad, who is extremely unlucky to have missed the bus for apparently no fault of his own. His ouster in my eyes has nothing to do with any sporting reason.
However, with Kashif elbowed out and with Sohail Abbas deciding not to throw his hat in the ring, it is time for those who have graduated from the Junior string to stand up and be counted. It is good for them because they would get international exposure in a tournament which is not a top-notcher on the global circuit and hardly finds a place in the calendar of events recognized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). This will make their task that much easier, and they will be able to face international teams without much pressure and without being under the constant glare of media hype that is part of all major tournaments.
A look at the lineup of tournament participants is enough to calm down any frayed nerves either in the camp or among the fans. Though Pakistan has lost games in the past against Malaysia and New Zealand, they were unexpected results, and no one would generally give much of a chance to the two teams to do it again. For South Africa, it would be a miracle to do anything worthwhile against the greenshirted Pakistanis. This leaves us with three more teams, India, South Korea and Australia.
Regardless of the traditional rivalry between the two teams, Pakistan shall have an easy ride against the Indians because the latter have been on the way down after a spirited couple of years. South Africa, again, has played much better hockey in the distant past than what it has been able to put on display in the last few years. As for Australia, it has come to Malaysia with a handful of youngsters to give them exposure and to try out a few new combinations. Pakistan, as such, is the strongest entity in the overall lineup. The fact that the Australians are still considered the favourites, I guess, has more to do with their traditional supremacy over the Pakistanis than on the actual strength of the two sides in the context of the tournament.
Also working in favour of the team would be the fact that all major European outfits, like Holland, Germany and Spain, are not taking part in the Azlan Shah Cup. Even the minor ones like England and Belgium have also stayed away. Pakistan has always had problems with European teams and their absence from the scene would have given much heart to the team and its management. Interestingly, Argentina, a team which has given tough time to the Pakistanis more often than not, is also missing, which means one less hurdle for the team.
The last factor working in favour of the Pakistanis would be the simple fact that this specific team is not even the defending champion of the title, which entails playing under intense pressure to keep the title intact. In Malaysia this year, the team has nothing to lose and everything to gain for itself and the country. And with so much going in favour of the team, and very little against it, the boys will surely make the most of this opportunity. Anything less than gold this year will leave me disappointed and surprised. Like most others, I am keeping my fingers crossed.
THE national team has already left for Malaysia any by the time you get to read these lines, the Azlan Shah Cup would have already gone under way. Even though the team had a tough time beating the Juniors in the three-match series that brought to an end the team’s preparation for the outing, I still fancy its chances on the victory stand.
