LAHORE: Former Olympian and a member of the dissolved national selection committee, Arshad Chaudhry, while welcoming the achievement of the Pakistan team at the Champions Trophy, said its responsibility now is to win the 2014 World Cup.

“I would like to suggest to the PHF and the national team management to immediately prepare a hectic activity programme for the national team instead of celebrating the bronze medal success,” Arshad said.

“The win should be taken as tonic for the roadmap to the World Cup, which is around the corner.

“The national team has shown weaknesses in some important areas of the game and the team management should work to remove all such shortcomings, well before the 2014 World Cup,” he added.

“The PHF has to focus more and more on enlarging the players’ pool during this period to feed back the national team with the young talent, as the team needs a couple of changes, soon after this month’s Asian Champions Trophy,” Arshad, who despite being a member of selection committee during the London Games has suggested the PHF to dissolve his committee, giving full powers to head coach Akhtar Rasool, following the pattern of the European countries.

He said some juniors players like Umar Bhutta and Rizwan Junior had to overcome their weaknesses so that a strong pool of players would be available to the national team.

Arshad said both physical and mentally fitness of the players is necessary in present day’s hockey.

“The PHF should give preference to tall players,” Arshad suggested.

He claimed the Pakistan team played on the Asian pattern on many occasions in the Champions Trophy and that forced the European teams to struggle. He expressed hope that head coach Akhtar would emphasis on it.

He said reaching the podium after a long eight-year gap at the Champions Trophy was a good sign.