Will Pakistan hockey ever manage to regain supremacy?

Having defeated a strong Australian line-up in the tri-nations final at Perth on Thursday, November 3, Pakistan hockey seems to be getting back on the right track. The Green Shirts defeated Australia by a 4-3 margin in what was an enthralling
encounter at Perth Hockey Stadium.

This win proved to be a perfect present for the Pakistani nation, coming just a few days before the start of a Muslim festival known as ‘Eid’. This sort of performance was badly needed by the nation especially after three of its top cricketers, Salman Butt,
Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Amir were imprisoned by a court in London on spot fixing charges.

The game of hockey took a sudden decline after the departure of big names like Shahbaz Ahmad Senior, Mansoor Ahmad and Islah-ud-din. Pakistan team gradually kept on losing their supremacy on the world hockey and a time came when the Green Shirts were literally
struggling to beat the likes of China, New Zealand and Argentina.

Even the players of the class of Waseem Ahmad, Sohail Abbas and Rehan Butt were badly dented by the downfall of hockey. As a result, people lost interest in the game and the crowds were nowhere to be seen whenever an international event happened in the country.

Much to our embarrassment, some of the top players had to consider playing in different countries in order to keep the passion alive in their hearts.

Hockey, which is the nation’s national game, suffered badly at the hands of some illiterate people, who, for their personal delight preferred making money than thinking of the game’s revival. After ruining the game further, these corrupt heads were removed
from the federation.

Since the appointment of Asif Bajwa as Pakistan Hockey Federation’s Secretary, the matters are somewhat resolving and results are getting better day by day.

Under his reign, the Green Shirts became the Asian Champions in 2010 and have recently won a tri-nations tournament in Australia, beating the home side in an entertaining yet tense finale.

The three time Olympic winners, four time world cup winners, three time champions trophy gold medallists and eight time Asian champions, Pakistan, are currently in hot waters and a place on the victory stand in next year’s champions trophy would certainly
help improve the image of game in the country.

One would hope that Pakistan would carry on playing with the same momentum and passion even after the departure of veterans Sohail Abbas and Waseem Ahmad.

Now it is up to us to back our nation and revive the game of hockey in the country. We would have to show the same support and spirit just as we did on learning about the return of Shahid Afridi to international cricket.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=2730

Posted by Taha Habib on Nov 4 2011. Filed under Opinion, Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry