‘Transition is a slow process’

Hockey team manager admits need for youngsters.

LAHORE:

Pakistan hockey team manager and former coach Khwaja Junaid admitted that the national side needed fresh blood but insisted the transition is going to be a slow process.

Seniors  in the team, after Pakistan bagged the Asian Games gold medal, lashed out at critics who remarked that they were past their prime and needed to be replaced by youngsters. Olympians stated that players like Sohail Abbas, Salman Akbar and Shakeel Abbasi will not be able to deliver in the future and Pakistan needed their replacements.

Then-captain Zeeshan Ashraf opted to skip the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup stating that he wanted to give youngsters a chance and is now eyeing high-profile events like the Champions Trophy.

“We have a good backup of players,” Junaid told reporters at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore. “But we need to give them ample exposure before relying on them. There’s a bunch of players who are in line to replace the seniors but you can’t just go and axe them immediately.”

Junaid said that the presence of seniors, who are performing, is beneficial for the young talent since they can gain from their experience.

Meanwhile, former captain Nadeem said that Abbas, who missed close to 30 penalty corners in the Azlan Shah Cup where Pakistan ended as runners-up, should have called it quits after the Asian Games. “He is no doubt one of the best defenders in the game but he should have ended his career on a high.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2011.