I believe former hockey captain, coach Tahir Zaman is best possible option to be chief coach of team during Asia Cup.
PHOENIZ, ARIZONA: I recently watched the World Hockey League in Johor Baru, Malaysia. After claiming the number seventh position in this tournament, the only chance for a World Cup spot for the national team is through winning the gold medal in the Asia Cup. This is a tall order unless some very important decisions are made.
In the current set-up of the Pakistan Hockey Federation and in the present circumstances, I believe that former hockey captain and coach Tahir Zaman is the best possible option to be chief coach of the team during the Asia Cup. Currently, he is working as a consultant and there are, in a way, two coaches working together — Zaman and Hanif Khan. Such a strategy, which lets two coaches train the team, is bound to fail and will kill any hope for success in the Asia Cup.
Let Zaman, the qualified coach, the man who has earned countless laurels for the country, be given full responsibility, including the selection of the team, its training and devising of strategy. I believe that if Pakistan plays under Zaman’s guidance, there is a slim chance that our very talented team might still qualify for the World Cup; otherwise, hockey will die in Pakistan and with this, our only medal hope in the Olympics wither away as well.
Abdul Nadir
Published in The Express Tribune, July 16th, 2013.
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