KARACHI: Pakistan hockey team coaches Mohammad Saqlain and Rehan Butt have said the national team for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy was selected on ‘merit’ and despite financial woes they were looking forward to an improved performance in the tournament which begins in Muscat on Thursday.

“The team is physically fit and will hopefully make amends of the Asian Games loss,” they told Dawn on Sunday on the eve of team’s departure. The team will fly to Muscat in the wee hours of Monday.

The pair was optimistic that the boys will be in better shape before the World Cup which takes place in India in December.

“We’ve worked hard to rectify the shortcomings – lack of scoring by forwards and penalty corner drills – in the camp and positions of some players have been reshuffled,” they added.

They said that in the aftermath of poor showing by forwards namely Arsalan Qadir and Dilber for the last eight months, Irfan Jr has been brought in as centre-forward.

They said the competition will witness the same teams that featured in the Asiad at Jakarta.

The coaches were critical of lack of financial support and apathy from the government to the national game as the year culminates with the World Cup.

They added that with no penny in the federation’s kitty the nation‘s expectations are high who want the team to win gold and end the title drought.

“With financial worries back of their mind due to non-payment of their allowances it’s like asking for a moon from players with their stomach empty,” they argued.

The former players said the nation had witnessed a similar situation in 2014 when a neighbouring country had offered to lend financial help to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to meet hockey team’s participation in an international event abroad.

“With World Cup in Bhubaneswar looming around, they fear that neighbour might offer again to ensure Pakistan’s participation which is disgraceful,” they added.

They regretted that the PHF and couple of former Olympians have several times tried to call on Prime Minister Imran Khan on the issue but in vain.

They urged upon the Prime Minister to immediately come to the rescue of PHF in the larger national interest and save the game from embarrassment.

They hoped that Imran, who is former a sportsman himself and understands the problems, will personally look into the matter and facilitate the PHF at the earliest for better results from the team.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2018