ISLAMABAD: Former Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh on Wednesday said Pakistan finishing in the top four at the hockey event of the London Olympics will be a miracle.
Shahnaz said that based on the current circumstances, Pakistan’s chances at the Olympics do not look too bright.
“Being a Pakistani I wish that our team wins gold but by seeing the current circumstances it would be a miracle if our team ends up in the top four of the Olympics,” he said while talking to APP.
One of the many problems the Greenshirts face is that they have not had an opportunity to practice on blue turf which will be used at the Olympics and also that their current coach had very little time to train the team.
“The main drawback that our team has gone through is that their Dutch coach Michel Van Dan Heuvel left the team before such a mega event and the new coach Akthar Rasool had very less time to train the team,” he said.
Another weakness that Shahnaz sees in the team is the ouster of Shakeel Abbasi and Rehan Butt from the team.
“The current team has new young faces in it which is good but the team will definitely miss Shakeel and Rehan,” Shahnaz said.
Shahnaz also believes that there would be a great deal of pressure on the newly-appointed national hockey team skipper Sohail Abbas in the Olympics.
“Sohail is a penalty corner specialist but for that you also need some other player to provide you a penalty corner,” Shahnaz said adding that currently the team's from line is poor.
“The team needs to make its front line strong and should work on attacking hockey,” he said.
The ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, where Pakistan will face Great Britain, South Korea, New Zealand, Argentina, India and hosts Malaysia, will be a good chance for Pakistan to warm-up before the Olympics.
Performing well in Malaysia is important as it will help gauge the chances the Greenshirts have at the Olympics.
“Pakistan will have to face the same teams in the Olympics so it is important that our team performs well in the Azalan Shah Cup,” Shahnaz said, adding that Olympics is all about accumulating 10 points for Pakistan with three wins and a draw out of five matches, which is not impossible.
