LAHORE: Former hockey Olympian and current member of the national selection committee Arshad Chaudhary hinted on Wednesday that the rebel senior players were unlikely to get the nod for selection in the upcoming Olympic Games as many talented youngsters were breathing down their necks for berths in the team.
“The disciplinary committee of the PHF is dealing with the case of the rebel players and its decision is yet to come. But to regain places in the national team every senior player will have to prove his fitness and stamina in comparison with the current youngsters of the team who are improving day by day in these two areas,” Arshad told Dawn.
“Hockey is a game of fitness and skill and some of the youngsters in the team have proved that they have strong legs and a strong will to learn and excel and that is why the selectors have set a tough criteria for the senior players to prove their fitness,” said Arshad who was part of the national team which earned silver medal in the 1975 World Cup in Malaysia and a bronze medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Asked if it was possible to raise a strong team without the rebel players in such a short time, Arshad said that although they were an experienced bunch of players, a good number of current national team members had also featured in more than 50 international matches and were not short on experience either.
“To me only those players who have strong legs and are young and passionate about the game will carry us through to the 2014 World Cup,” he said. “This team still has to play 10 to 12 matches before the Olympics in the Azlan Shah Cup and later in Europe, so there is hectic hockey ahead for the young guns.”
When asked to comment about captain Sohail Abbas, Arshad said: “Sohail was named captain after he showed a lot of commitment in the recently concluded national training camp and he also deserves the mantle because he is the most experienced man in the current lot, a world record holder who is still in great shape.”
It may be mentioned that senior players including Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Zeeshan Ashraf, and Waseem Ahmad are presently facing disciplinary charges for violating the PHF and the FIH rules by playing in the banned WSH in India.
The recommendations of the disciplinary committee, headed by Wasey Jalil, are likely to be received by the end of this week which will help the PHF decide about their fate.
Talking about the Azlan Shah Cup which begins today, Arshad said the event will be the key for the young Pakistan team before the London Olympics besides being a test of leadership skills for Sohail Abbas.
“Although the national team had excellent training sessions in Islamabad and Lahore before leaving for Malaysia, the real standard of their game will come into focus during the event,” he said.
Except for hosts Malaysia, all other participating teams including Britain, South Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, and Argentina have qualified for the London Olympics.
Elaborating on the team’s preparations for the event, Arshad said coach Akhtar Rasool had concentrated on stoppage techniques, short passes and dodges with the players keeping in view modern hockey and how to use the quick replacement rule under the prevailing atmosphere.
“Many feel that Akhtar Rasool has got very less time with the team, but the way he has worked with them [players] was a treat to watch and the boys have responded very well to his coaching. I’m confident it will pave the way for better results in the Azlan Shah Cup.”
About the performance of the national junior team in the recently-concluded Asia Cup, also held in Malaysia, Arshad said though head coach Rana Mujahid has worked hard to train the boys for the event, their 2-1 defeat in the final was extremely puzzling for everyone. “I feel the junior team should have won the Asia Cup because it was playing with six players of the senior team,” he said. “It beats me why we lost the final.”
He said that according to Rana Mujahid some umpiring decisions went against Pakistan while missed chances also played a major role in the loss.