KARACHI: The poor turn out and lack of standard of players in the two-day open hockey trials for Sindh and Balochistan held at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium has irked the selectors.

“Only 115 players from the two provinces reported for trials and their standard was below par and not even of school level of our time,” a dejected senior member of the national selection committee Olympian Ayaz Mahmood told Dawn on Tuesday.

Terming it disgusting he said the players lacked the basics and exposed tall claims of the hockey academies and alleged bogus clubs.

Citing details of the trials also watched by co-selectors Olympian Waseem Feroz and Kaleemullah, he said six halved of 35-minute each were conducted on the opening day while seven halves were held on the second day.

“Each and every player was given chance to prove his mettle and the selectors have identified 42 players who can be groomed by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF),” he said adding the names have been forwarded to the PHF.

Ayaz said he still remember that approximately 1300 players have reported for the PIA Colts trials at the same venue in 1979 and he was lucky to get selected.

He said according to information, 380 players turned up at the Lahore’s National Hockey Stadium forcing the selectors to extend the trials from two to three days.

The players who belonged to Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Fata, were watched by chief selector Manzoor Hussain Jr, Nasir Ali and Khalid Hameed.

The 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold medallist regretted that club and domestic hockey that once used to be the hallmark has completely vanished.

He went on to say that the domestic structure of the game needs quick revamp in order to arrest the declining standard.

He urged upon the prime minister to ask multinational companies to patronise the national game as sports is a true reflection of the nation.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2019