PAKISTAN’S nightmarish run at the recently concluded World Hockey League in London has been enough to convince even diehard fans that it is the end of the road for the game in the country.

From being one of the best sides in the world in the 1970s and 1980s, Pakistan has slipped to the point where a lightweight team such as Canada can give it a royal thrashing (6-0).

The greenshirts, whose victories in the league came against lowly-ranked Scotland and China, were completely outplayed by major teams including Holland, India — twice — and Argentina as they finished a poor seventh at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

It is ironic, though, that despite this horrendous show, the Pakistanis have managed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, thanks to the International Hockey Federation which has raised the number of participating teams from 12 to 16 for the mega event.

And yet, had it not been for the drawn match between Canada and Scotland, Pakistan would have returned empty-handed.

While the national game has been experiencing a sharp decline for a number of years now, the almost complete absence of skill, stamina and the will to win has been astonishing this time round.

Not a single facet of Pakistan’s game in the tournament is worth mentioning.

The midfield and the forward line appeared completely disjointed, failing to put any pressure on the opposition, while both strikers and defenders were listless as the side lost games by huge margins, highlighting the embarrassing state of bankruptcy.

Even so, the harsh statement of the Pakistan Hockey Federation secretary, Shahbaz Ahmed, is appalling.

The former captain has been running the affairs of the game for the past two and a half years and one expects him and his PHF colleagues to shoulder the blame instead of picking on players’ intellect and talking about the money spent on them going to waste.

Remedial measures on all counts are desperately needed.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2017