Shahbaz delighted by progress of home side: Hockey legends find Pakistan ready for int’l contests

LAHORE: Former hockey legends said here that they were delighted by the security and the facilities provided during their stay in Pakistan.

Addressing a ceremony hosted in their honour, Paul Litjens said that the game of hockey had changed a lot and that Pakistan would have to adopt new ideas and keep pace with the changes to regain their strength in world hockey.

He said that Pakistan had produced many great players such as Samiullah, Islahuddin, Akhtar Rasool and Shahnaz Sheikh. Jan Bovelander said that his fondest memories belonged to Pakistan as Holland won the 1990 World Cup in Lahore. He said Shahbaz Ahmed played the most significant role in the revival of international hockey in Pakistan. “All of us came here on the invitation of Shahbaz Ahmed, who informed us that all is well here in Pakistan. It is peaceful and the conditions are conducive for the revival of international matches,” he said.

He said that he had talked to Pakistan junior players and gave them some tips to improve their performance. Spain’s Juan Escarre said that it was like a dream come true for him to be in Pakistan.

Germany’s former captain Christian Blunck also addressed the gathering and shared his memories of his playing days related to Pakistan. Blunck said that Shahbaz was a great friend as they had a long association. “We feel that Pakistan is ready for the revival of international hockey,” he added. Holland’s umpire Rob Lathouwers said that he had visited Pakistan many times. “This country is like my second home. I always wanted to visit the country as it has made great contribution to hockey,” he added. PHF president Brig (rtd) Khalid Khokhar and secretary Shahbaz also spoke on the occasion and termed the visit of World XI and former legends of the game a historic occasion. They thanked all the visitors for coming and helping PHF in reviving international hockey in Pakistan. They said that Pakistanis would always remember their cooperation. The dinner reception was attended also by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi and provincial sports minister Jahangir Khanzada.

Meanwhile Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) secretary Shahbaz Ahmed has said that the visit of World XI and former greats was unforgettable. “Thanks God, my efforts to get these international players and officials here paid off,” he said while talking to ‘The News’ at National Hockey Stadium here.

“Their visit has given us a lot of confidence. It sends a good message to all hockey-playing countries. They now know that Pakistan is peaceful and is ready for international matches,” he said.

He also said the spirited display of hockey by Pakistani players against a much more experienced side was wonderful. Shahbaz said that the experiment of fielding Pakistan juniors against the World XI proved beneficial. “It proved that our junior players have potential and that they can be fielded against the strong teams of the world,” he added. He said the juniors played better in Lahore than they did in Karachi. “It means they are learning from their mistakes and improving. These boys are our future. They will go to Argentina next month to play a five-match series against the Olympic champions,” he said.

He mentioned that the Green-shirts were playing against a team that had collectively played around 3000 international matches.He said the PHF would soon start preparations for Pakistan Hockey League (PHL). “The tour of World XI and the presence of the former legends will help us make it a successful event,” he added.

“Due to the arrival of World XI and former greats, foreign players from strong hockey teams of the world will come here to play the PHL,” Shahbaz said. He further said that a three- or four-nation tournament would be organised in the country to help Pakistan seniors prepare for Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.