Pakistan’s poor standard in goalkeeping exposed

KARACHI: The performance of Pakistani goalkeepers in the recently concluded Asian Champions Trophy 2021 and Junior World Cup 2021 has exposed one of the main reasons of their poor standing in the world.

The senior team’s goalkeepers conceded 18 goals in six matches and the junior goalkeepers conceded 14 in five matches and four goals in the shootout of one match.

Pakistan seniors ended fourth in the five-team Asian Champions Trophy. The juniors finished 11th in the 16-team World Cup.

Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas were the goalkeepers of the senior team and Abdullah Ishtiaq and Waqar Younus were the main goalkeepers of the junior team.

The PHF made a lot of efforts to improve the performance of goalkeepers before these two big events by organising training camps and even a specialised coaching camp as Pakistan had been facing dearth of skillful goalkeepers for the last couple of years. But the desired result could not be achieved.

It may be remembered that experts were shocked when Oman, considered a lowly team in world hockey, managed to draw a match against Pakistan 4-4 after conceding three goals lead in a three-nation tournament in Oman in 2018.

Japan won the tournament defeating Pakistan in the final 3-2. At that time Japan were not strong and passing through a developing period.

PHF appointed former Olympian goalkeepers for training and coaching, inlduing Shahid Ali Khan, late Mansoor Ahmed, Nasir Ahmed and then Ahmed Alam, but to no avail.

PHF has also appointed Rassie Piterese, a South African Olympian goalkeeper, for the training of Pakistani goalkeepers but none of the goalkeepers proved worthy of a place in the teams.

It is a matter of serious concern for the future of Pakistan hockey, as all efforts have been fruitless.

Only in one match against Japan in the Asian Champions Trophy, the performance of Mazhar was satisfactory. Mazhar was declared the man of that match.

Pakistan forwards were successful to score goals in the matches against Korea and India but poor defence and goalkeeping resulted in losses.

Pakistan’s senior teams’s overall performance in the Asian Champions Trophy in Bangladesh was far from being impressive.

Goalkeeping coach Ahmed Alam recommended that instead of junior team goalkeepers, seniors Amjad and Mazhar be sent to Bangladesh for Asian Champions Trophy due to bad performance junior goalkeepers in the World Cup.

Pakistan could have reached the final of the Asian Champions Trophy as they scored five goals against Korea in the semifinal, but poor goalkeeping and defence meant Pakistan conceded six goals and lost the match.

Pakistan are to compete at Asia Cup 2022, Commonwealth Games 2022 and Asian Games 2022 besides some other international events.

Before these events, the issue of goalkeeping and defence will have to be solved.

Sources in the PHF said that high officials were considering several options to give more advanced training and coaching to Pakistani goalkeepers before these big events.