Facing Malaysia again: Green-shirts need to be more vigilant in semi-final

KARACHI: A weak and disheartened Pakistan hockey team after showing some resistance has reached the semi-finals stage of Asian Champions Trophy, where it will compete against Malaysia whom it defeated in the round robin match 1-0.

But a semi-final is a different story altogether, and the history of Pakistan hockey team tells us that when they have defeated a team in league or practice matches, they take it lightly for which they pay a heavy price.

The Green-shirts had defeated Japan in a practice match ahead of the Asian Games, but they lost to them in the semi-final. If they manage to beat Malaysia again, it will be a great achievement as the rivals are being coached by Roelant Oltmans who had been the head coach of Pakistan until a few weeks ago.

He left the Pakistan team after their poor show at the Asian Games. He said the Pakistani players’ learning process had stopped. Hasan Sardar, who has replaced Oltmans as head coach, should focus on his team’s weaknesses.

The mental toughness of the players will play an important role in the match. Pakistan players should realise that before the World Cup 2018, it would be ideal for them to recover their prestige by winning this event.

Pakistan’s forwards and PC specialists are now scoring goals. Their defenders and the goalkeeper played poorly against India, but in other matches their performance was satisfactory. Pakistan have not reached the final of any big international event for many years. It will not be easy to defeat Malaysia again because Oltmans knows their weaknesses and mental approach.