THE euphoria surrounding the visit of a hockey World XI to Pakistan for a couple of matches has provided a rare opportunity for the national game to share the limelight with cricket. Hockey enjoyed mass appeal and top billing in the country during the 1960s and 1970s before astro turf replaced grass as the standard surface for international matches and more or less ended the Asian teams’ domination of the game. The World XI’s visit has allowed a galaxy of legendary players to regroup and reminisce about their heyday; they include the Netherland’s Paul Litjens, Floris Jan Bovelander and Rob Lathouwers, Germany’s Christian Blunk, Spain’s Juan Escarré and Australia’s Don Prior — besides Pakistan’s very own Islahuddin, Hasan Sardar, Samiullah, Shahnaz Sheikh and Shahbaz Senior. Though belonging to a different era, these icons still command the sort of appeal and respect that could inspire many a youngster to take up the game by simply listening to them and seeing them exhibit their skills.

However, while the Pakistan Hockey Federation deserves credit for making this tour happen, its claims about this being the first step towards the revival of the game ring hollow. It will take more than a World XI tour to revive the game in Pakistan. More than attracting newcomers, the authorities need to eliminate corruption, political appointments and poor infrastructure to resurrect hockey’s fortunes besides, of course, working determinedly towards improving the team’s victory graph in major events. It is ironic that many of the renowned ex-Olympians, who did the country proud by excelling on the field, have indulged in needless ego tussles when at the helm of the PHF, or resorted to selfish monetary gains at the game’s expense, thus blotting glorious memories. If nothing else, the under-18 team’s shock 1-5 defeat on Friday to the World XI that mainly comprises retired professionals should be an eye-opener. The PHF must put things right before the Hockey World Cup scheduled to be played in India later this year.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2018