KARACHI: Pakistan on Monday named their 16-man hockey squad for next month’s Olympic Games in Beijing with a top team official comparing it with the victorious squads of the sixties and seventies that used to ride roughshod over their rivals.
Seasoned defender Zeeshan Ashraf was retained as the skipper for the all-important Olympic assignment following a series of trial sessions held at Lahore’s National Hockey Stadium.
Three-time Olympic champions Pakistan have been unimpressive in the lead up to the Beijing Games but head coach Khawaja Zakauddin believes his team can go on to become the surprise package of the Olympics.
“We have made the sort of team which Pakistan used to field in the sixties and seventies,” Zaka told Arab News. “Then we normally opted for a combination of experience and youth and this Olympic team has been selected on the same pattern,” added the former Olympian.
Pakistan were the biggest hockey power in the world from the sixties right up to the early eighties, winning major titles almost at will.
But their supremacy that saw them win the 1982 World Cup and 1984 Olympics has since faded with a brief revival in 1994 when the Greenshirts won the World Cup in Sydney.
“In those years our strategy used to be simple,” said Zaka. “We opted to have senior players and give them some young legs and that almost always worked for us. This combination is similar to those teams and we hope it will click in Beijing.”
Zaka said that the senior playmakers and hard-working youngsters have gelled well in Pakistan’s marathon tour of Europe earlier this summer and are ready to deliver the goods in the Olympics.
Expert, however, give Pakistan little chance of regaining their lost glory in Beijing where top teams like defending champions Australia, world champions Germany, Holland and Spain are expected to battle for supremacy.
Zaka believes that the underdog tag will eventually work out in Pakistan’s favor. “The element of surprise can be really useful,” he pointed out. “If they don’t think we are good enough then let them think that. We will be going to Beijing fully prepared and will be eyeing the title there.”
Zaka believes that his team’s strong point is its attack with experienced strikers Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi marshalling younger forwards like Zubair Ahmed and Shafqat Rasool, the Pakistan junior team skipper.
Former skipper Mohammad Saqlain will finally make his Olympic debut after missing out in Sydney and Athens and will spearhead the midfield that also includes Olympian Adnan Maqsood. Zeeshan Ashraf heads the deep defense that includes comeback short corner expert Imran Warsi and vice-captain Mohammad Imran. Warsi missed international action for the best part of the year because of injury problems but is now fully fit. Olympian Salman Akbar remains Pakistan’s first-choice goalie with the experienced Nasir Ahmed going to Beijing as his No. 2.Zaka said that the goalkeepers will have to rise to the occasion if Pakistan are to finish among the medal winners at the Games. “In today’s hockey much depends on how good you goalkeeper is,” he stressed. “Our goalies have shown improvement in recent outings and I’m expecting them to do even better in Beijing.”
Pakistan, who last won an Olympic hockey medal — bronze — in 1992 in Barcelona, are placed in Pool B of the 12-nation event with Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, Great Britain and South Africa. They open their campaign with a game against Britain on Aug. 11.
Top seeds Germany are bracketed with Spain, South Korea, New Zealand, Belgium and China in Pool A.
Pakistan hockey chief Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced that the team was capable of achieving Olympic glory.
“We have picked our best possible squad for Beijing Olympics and hope this team will regain the laurels for the country,” said Jamali, who witnessed the trials alongside the national selection committee headed by Islahuddin Siddidui.
The Pakistani team will continue to train in Lahore before flying out for Beijing on July 31. It will play a practice game against Korea on Aug. 6 in Beijing.
Pakistan squad: Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Salman Akbar, Nasir Ahmed, Mohammad Imran, Imran Warsi, Mohammad Javed, Mohammad Saqlain, Adnan Maqsood, Rana Asif, Waqas Ashraf, Waqas Akber, Rehan Butt, Shakil Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Zubair Ahmed, Shafqat Rasool.
