‘Cricket success can revive dying hockey in Pakistan’
and their defence looked tightest in the tournament so far.
For a struggling Pakistan team that had conceded 18 goals and scored just four in the four group matches, to thwart the tactical Argentines in as many as seven penalty corners in a pressure game was a clear sign of improvement. Their goalkeeper Amjad Ali had an outstanding match.
Captain Abdul Haseem Khan was confident of a better show against India. “We are a young team and lack experience of big matches. But we are like soldiers in a battlefield. We will rise for sure,” he told HT.
India’s story of missed chances continued against a tactical Malaysia on Thursday. “We are still not finishing well. It was good to rebound after being down two-nil but we are still not executing our plans and luck is not with us too,” Oltmans said.
India’s inability to finish well from inside the 25-yard zone has been a sore point in the HWL semi-final. Sizzling crosses across the pitch, clever deflections and quick counterattacks seem to be factors that is dominating modern hockey. India still have some catching up to do.
Cup-winning Shahbaz Ahmed has Pakistan’s hockey fortunes in his hand. The 48-year-old former striker, who has played three Olympics, is Pakistan Hockey Federation’s secretary general, a post he has held since September 2015.
Shahbaz Ahmed is one of the greatest hockey players in the game’s history. The all-time leading cap holder, having represented Pakistan 304 times, is the only player to win two consecutive Player of the tournament awards, in the 1990 World Cup in Lahore and at the 1994 World Cup in Sydney.
Shahbaz spoke to HT on the sidelines of the Hockey World League at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Excerpts from an exclusive interview: I have been tasked with reviving Pakistan hockey. I want to see Pakistan bouncing back from where we currently are. It’s not a happy scenario (Pakistan are ranked 13 in the world). There is lot of work to be done. Qualifying for the World Cup is a process. I started my international career in Kolkata (1986) and played my second tournament in the Indira Gandhi Cup in 1987 in Lucknow. The press in India and Pakistan called me a “superman” and the “man with electric heels.” I was the best player of the tournament and I can never forget the admiration we got. Certainly it has. Pakistan certainly have lost out for sure. We did not qualify for the Rio Olympics and we did not play the (2014) World Cup in The Hague and now we are not sure about 2018 World Cup in India. Beauty of hockey comes when India and Pakistan play each other. Here in London, people came to watch the India versus Pakistan match. If Pakistan do not get the opportunity to play big tournaments, it will be very difficult to revive the game. Batra may be an Indian but he needs to understand that he is the president of the world body. He needs to be fair and transparent. He must spread the message of peace and translate them into deeds. On an invitation from Dhanraj Pillay, I have travelled to India when they launched the professional league. I got so much warmth.