AND so the Champions Trophy campaign came to nothing. But it could have been worse, mind you. It was just by the skin of their teeth that the Pakistanis were able to avoid what would have been an embarrassing relegation, and which looked so ominously on the cards for more than fifty per cent of their last game against India. And this brings me to the subject that I wish to discuss today. We have done reviews of Pakistan’s performance in the past and will have the opportunity to do it over and over again in the times to come. So there is no hurry on that count. Let’s deal with the state of the game of hockey in the continent where it was born, nurtured and groomed for a whole lot of decades.
It was that classification match against India that really added insult to the injury we suffered because of the performance of our own team. It firmly put under glaring focus the huge gulf that now separates the Asian hockey from what is going on elsewhere in the world, specially Europe.
While the four other nations in the competition — Australia, Holland, Spain and Germany — had their moments in the tournament and at least had a technical chance to qualify for the final and go for the gold till their last pool match, Pakistan and India, the two Asians, were out of the medals’ race halfway through the league round. Yes, Pakistan was the worst off, for it lost to India as well, but, as I said, we are not discussing Pakistan’s performance today. It is the fall of Asian hockey that we are dealing with here.
The Indians had shown a bit of resurgence a few years ago when they had brought back Dhanraj PIllay and a couple of others into the fold, generating a nucleus around them that involved a lot of young and talented players. It worked for them for a while even though it never got converted into any major trophy. But they did make an impact and there were some hope of a true revival. Today, that hope is well and truly gone.
I am not sure about the latest official standings, but in practical terms Pakistan, at best, is clearly behind Australia, Holland and Germany, with Spain, on current form, having every chance to beat us anytime. So, practically, we are a distant fourth, if not downright fifth. We have had our spot under the sun in the last more than a decade, but inconsistency remains our biggest problem.
South Korea, after their initial burst of energy, has hit a downhill track in the last five years, and is generally considered by the other sides as a potential threat that can be tamed with a bit of imagination. Nothing serious.
The fourth nation that showed a bit of initial spark in the continent is Malaysia which holds the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at home on a regular basis to give exposure to its team and promote the game in the country. There was a time some years ago when the Malaysian outfit exhibited early signs of some potential to gradually become Asia’s Spain in terms of acquiring the Spanish technique of boosting their defence and frustrating the opponents by denying them space. But nothing concrete came out of it, and today there is no immediate hope of Malaysia making it to the top league.
In contrast, European teams are all making good progress. Holland and Germany have been the front-runners for long, with even their second-string sides having registered many a comfortable win against major Asian outfits, but now even Spain has shed its defensive mould, and is considered very much at par with the best.
There is no point saying anything about Australia. We all know what the team is like, and we all know that it is doing its best to enlarge the gulf between itself and the rest. But what shall alert us in Asia is the growing strides being made by sides like Argentina and South Africa. If we don’t make concerted efforts soon, the time may not be far when we would be constantly struggling against them as well. It would be sad day when it happens. I hope it doesn’t happen in my lifetime, but who knows?
AND so the Champions Trophy campaign came to nothing. But it could have been worse, mind you. It was just by the skin of their teeth that the Pakistanis were able to avoid what would have been an embarrassing relegation, and which looked so ominously on the cards for more than fifty per cent of their last game against India. And this brings me to the subject that I wish to discuss today. We have done reviews of Pakistan’s performance in the past and will have the opportunity to do it over and over again in the times to come. So there is no hurry on that count. Let’s deal with the state of the game of hockey in the continent where it was born, nurtured and groomed for a whole lot of decades.
I am not sure about the latest official standings, but in practical terms Pakistan, at best, is clearly behind Australia, Holland and Germany, with Spain, on current form, having every chance to beat us anytime. So, practically, we are a distant fourth, if not downright fifth. We have had our spot under the sun in the last more than a decade, but inconsistency remains our biggest problem.
