Khalid, Shahbaz elated by win

KARACHI: PHF president Khalid Khokhar termed Pakistan’s win against India in South Asian Games final on Friday a great victory. Pakistan beat arch-rivals 1-0 to lift the trophy.

Pakistan defeated India twice in this event which is a good omen and it indicates that our hockey team is improving day by day, he said while talking to ‘The News’.

Khalid said the Green-shirts played outstandingly throughout the South Asian Games.

He said that Pakistani players lacked international experience. “But we made them play domestic hockey regularly after we took charge of PHF due to which boys are in good form,” he said.

The PHF president promised that the team would get cash awards.

PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed said that the win would boost the confidence of the team.

“Pakistan and India are arch-rivals and winning against them on their soil and winning the gold medal is awesome,” he said. “The performance shows that Pakistan players are improving although our players had not played much international hockey.”

Olympian Naveed Alam, PHF’s director development for domestic hockey, also termed the win against India a good sign for the national game. He said that Pakistan team was playing in difficult circumstances as assistant coach Rehan Butt was compelled to play in the final due to injuries to some players.  He said that Owaisur Rehman who scored the decisive goal in the final is a young player.