Hockey revival
Pakistan must be lauded for their display in the knockout phase after a poor show in the pool matches.
For 24 hours last weekend, hockey turned into Pakistan’s most popular sport. The turnaround resulted from the thrilling win of the national team over arch-rivals India in their own backyard in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy. A young Pakistan team, bereft of financial support but big on spirit, made a resounding comeback at the business end of a tournament where its performance in the pool matches remained lifeless. While Pakistan lost to Germany 2-0 in the final to claim the silver medal, their performance in a high-pressure environment was highly commendable.
Events after the semi-final had turned bitter as Pakistan went overboard with their post-match celebrations. But what was clearly an over-reaction, the hosts India then went overboard with their protests, even threatening breaking hockey ties with Pakistan. The International Hockey Federation was forced to hand out bans to Pakistan players Mohammad Touseeq and Amjad Ali, who had both made rude gestures at the partisan crowd after the 4-3 win. Surprisingly, Hockey India (HI) was silent when Germany resorted to a similar mode of celebration after scoring goals in the final. HI’s bias towards Pakistan was, therefore, exposed, underscoring its lack of sportsman spirit.
Pakistan must be lauded for their display in the knockout phase after a poor show in the pool matches. In the quarter-final, Pakistan stunned the Netherlands 4-2. The European powerhouse simply wilted under the pressure applied by the rampaging forwards who after a long time succeeded in taming the giants of the game. Coach Shahnaz Shaikh’s call to his players before the match to fight till the very end for the sake of the sport’s survival in the country, seemed to do the trick. The players responded brilliantly and the subsequent results have provided great joy to the nation. This performance is just the tonic that hockey in the country needed. It is now imperative for the administrators to build on this success and ensure that the players are duly rewarded.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2014.
Events after the semi-final had turned bitter as Pakistan went overboard with their post-match celebrations. But what was clearly an over-reaction, the hosts India then went overboard with their protests, even threatening breaking hockey ties with Pakistan. The International Hockey Federation was forced to hand out bans to Pakistan players Mohammad Touseeq and Amjad Ali, who had both made rude gestures at the partisan crowd after the 4-3 win. Surprisingly, Hockey India (HI) was silent when Germany resorted to a similar mode of celebration after scoring goals in the final. HI’s bias towards Pakistan was, therefore, exposed, underscoring its lack of sportsman spirit.
Pakistan must be lauded for their display in the knockout phase after a poor show in the pool matches. In the quarter-final, Pakistan stunned the Netherlands 4-2. The European powerhouse simply wilted under the pressure applied by the rampaging forwards who after a long time succeeded in taming the giants of the game. Coach Shahnaz Shaikh’s call to his players before the match to fight till the very end for the sake of the sport’s survival in the country, seemed to do the trick. The players responded brilliantly and the subsequent results have provided great joy to the nation. This performance is just the tonic that hockey in the country needed. It is now imperative for the administrators to build on this success and ensure that the players are duly rewarded.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2014.