Pakistan were so near yet could not cross the final hurdle as they went down to Australia in the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. While some have criticised Pakistan’s weak defence, some felt that the team has gotten back to the groove ahead of next year’s London Olympics.
Zeeshan Ashraf, who skipped the tournament that gave Mohammad Imran a chance to lead the team in Ipoh, Malaysia, said that Pakistan is on the right track for the 2012 Olympics.
And while Ashraf chose to point out the positives, former players Shahnaz Sheikh and Islahuddin Siddiqui blamed Pakistan’s weak defence that cost them the title.
According to Ashraf, who led Pakistan to a gold medal in the Asian Games, said he was impressed with the way defender Kashif Shah had performed.
“Shah has shown a huge improvement from last year,” Ashraf told The Express Tribune. “I think we can criticise the team for losing but we should learn from the mistakes we made and improve our game before the Champions Trophy [in December].”
Goal-keeper Salman Akbar also echoed Ashraf’s views and said that playing against a quality side like Australia would have boosted the team’s confidence. “To hit back after a 5-1 defeat to Australia just a few days ago and to lose the final 3-2 is a sign of development for the team.”
However, Sheikh also stated that poor marking by Pakistani defenders cost them the game.
“We should have won this match,” said Shiekh. “It’s an acceptable result for a tournament but this line-up will definitely not work in the long run.”
Similarly Siddiqi said that losing twice to Australia during the same tournament indicates Pakistan are still not a strong enough side.
PHF satisfied with performance
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Chief Selector Hanif Khan said that he was satisfied with the team’s performance and the squad for the Champions Trophy and the 2012 London Olympics will be finalised soon.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2011.
1714024018-0/ModiLara-(1)1714024018-0-270x192.webp)
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ