Guys....do not be sad....take the positivies out this....you have done better than India in hockey in this Olympics 2012 - for example!!!!!

Dawn censors are a perfect example that Pakistan is a failed nation. Any criticism of any kind that does not fit their views is never published

Yet again a South Asian nation failed to qualify for the finals, anyways better luck next time.

Hockey in Pakistan is finished. There is no chance of it coming back unless it is played on turf.

I second that...Pak didnt receive one Penality. Aus got 6 penalties this has be the highest numbers of penalties given in a game. And we dont want to bash and cry over the referees, but they haven't been just to Pakistanis in the last game against South Africa either. A foot between goal and the stick of Pakistani scorer, which was not given at all.

We were a weaker team, technically, physically & mentally; not exactly players fault. Thank you anyway for the hope boys. I really wish this would be an alarming call to divert us in the right direction (inshallah).

Yes Khalid you are right , who ever happened to saw the game ( i saw only half of it as I knew it was futile to waste my time so I switched to another sport ) would agree , PurePakistanii is presenting the mental picture of Pure hypcorites by mentioning the Cheating ( 6 penalty corners 1 penalty stroke vis Pakistan getting nothing ,,,,, Forgetting that you have to be in the D area and create havoc in your opponent's defenders play to at least have an aspiration for such goodies ) . Yah perhaps referee should have awarded the penalties to Pakistan to try to score goals against Aus from its own d circle like spliting those 6 equally among Pak and Aus , to satisfy PurePakistanii dreams ..... Thank God the carbage stopped at 7 - 0 mainly due to tirdeness of Kangroos , it could have been 12 - 0 easily

who told these guys to play hockey, they can barely pass the ball to their own players

shame on our team for such a humiliating defeat.

we want rematch and india and Pakistan should fight for 11 and 12th position...n I want Pakistan to win

Totally shocked and disgusted with Pakistan's poor performance. The result was surely expected in favour of Australia but at least Pakistan should have put up some resistance to lose with honour. Winning against other teams except Gr. Britian and Auatralia though boosted the morale but it did not eventually produce the kind of zeal esxected of Pakistan as the tournamnet progressed. The team should have taken the matches against GBR and Aussies very seriously to play against them as if they are playing semifinal/final in order to stay alive in the tournament. When we lose we start complaining of change of rules of the game with limited facilities etc etc... We should not lose heart and build up a better team for next olympics and other tournaments. Good luck to Pakistan in the future.

Thanks for your exact assessment

Atleast they didn't throw the game away like some of our cricket players!

0 medals is better than -1 medals. Something to cheer about.

Pakistan team tried their best. I support them. The opponents had strong physical muscle power, stemina, pace etc. This comes to these nations from a pool of hundreds who train in the right enviroment every week. We don't have enough supply and modern training.

Do not get disappointed. This result was not unexpected. Ausies are far superior. Yet another olympics with zero medal for us.

Failed nation in every sphere of life.

On a positive side, the Indians did worse

Corruption in Pakistan's result

Pak never got penalties.....whereas Aus got 6 .... Now that is cheating

Traditional hockey is finised !!

We can do it..May be next time.

IIt was finished long time ago !.

Even at the height of its powers when Pakistan was winning olympics and world cups Pakistan didn't normally beat teams by more than a difference of 2 goals. Now Pakistan does not get beaten; more like thrashed by countries not that powerful such as Britain and by Australia now!

A Pure Pakistani reply. Nothing could be more purer.

They are not GODs and are human and are very vunerable and England showed how to perform. However, we should have scored at least one goal. Pak team has conceded 3 fast goals in 3 different games against 3 different teams....why? There are still enough things to change. One is the goal keepers. He has been the most inferior goalie in this tournament by far!

conspiracy

Pakistan hockey like everything else in Pakistan, needs serious change. The white nations for their own benifit changed the style and turf of hockey. Pakistan and India at that time did not protest and now this. It is about time we built astro turf stadiums in Pakistan and changed our style of hockey, otherwise we will remain at the bottom. We also need new and honest management, who will select team on merit. Akram

Why asian teams are playing worst game while argentina,england and newzeland giving gud performance than pakistan,india and south korea??

our problems is we never learn from our mistakes. Hockey was the only sport we were expecting a medal and it seems to me that PHF is full of unwanted and un professional people. Its not only hockey why not our Govt, media, schools, colleges and university promote others sports. Everyone knows that we do have the talent but lack of support and facalities let us down everytime. There should be sport acadmies in every town, who job is to only hunt for new talents, financially support him and provide the atleast all the basic training.

That marks an end of hockey in South Asia. Pakistan did relatively better than India in the Olympics Hockey, however, South Asians as such are no match for physically stronger and more agile Australians and Eurupeans, not to mention their better training and facilities. I believe the introduction of artificial surface, like astroturf or polygrass, was the game changer as far as field hockey is concerned. The traditional south asian style stick work and short passes got replaced with long scoops and rough tackling. It is a lost cause.

C'mon friend, Pakistan and India has been the champions in this sport, and then all of the sudden our collapse started. The main problem with we guys are we do not take a change seriously. Our respective teams should have to work very hard now, forget about technical hockey. Our boys need to play a fast and physical hockey, the world wants it, we have to give them.

I think the modern game play and strategy in hockey has all changed which Pakistan has not been able to adapt or adopt. We need to revitalise and re-engineer our game from the scratch altogether otherwise this drubbing will continue.

i think major cause of failur of Asain style of hockey is chage of rules like "NO OFF SIDE RULE" which has destroyed the beauity of this game. Isnt it funny that a player can even stand with the goal keeper of opposite side.

You win some you lose some all part of life better luck next time.

Excellent commentary. Thanks for the advice, hope PHF is listening and something is done to lift this great game in Pakistan.

Such a pathetic play by Pakistan. Losing by a goal or two is understandable. But losing 7-0 is humiliating and too much to bear. Pakistan looked colorless and off the direction. Barely attacked Aussies circle. Now Pakistan even wo'nt get to play for 5th place. Such a pathetic performance by Pakistan. Every one in our hockey federation should resign after giving worst performance. Coach is going to be sacked so is manager. This defeat is too much to tolerate. Politics and crouption needs to get out of our hockey otherwise more and more disaster for team will be around. Our hockey seems never learn from thier mistakes and keeps repeating same and same mistakes. Pakistan hockey team needs a foriegn coach and foriegn management. As playing Asian style gets no good results.

When they officials and governing body get select the Team by bribes and not merit, that's cheating to whole nation. Pakistan had most talented Hockey players but bad governance and politics ruined it

Pakistan looked a very ordinary team, in fact during the whole match there are hardly any team efforts.

blaming someone else for our defeats has become our national past time. Please stop this. PLEASE

The Achilles Heel was the goal keeper!! And the blundering selectors who preferred to take only one goalie to the Olympics.

Where is the national spirit in supporting a team that tried their best? Better luck next time, try harder team!

The fact is that the game has changed. There is no art , just positioning and long passing. India and Pakistan play the classical style like stickwork (dribbling) and body movement and short passing which has put both at a disadvantage. In my opinion, giving up this classical style is giving up the culture. We will have to find out ways to become good again. Aussie sports people do not work. They play the game 365 days a year, either on field or indoors.

Pakistan Hockey Federation needs to be shaken up, I mean it is their fault. They need to get world class coaches and a complete training regimen where everything is provided to the players from training to a complete meal plan. You cannot expect players who are underfed to play at the olympic level and win.

7-0 and so much appreciaton given to goal keeper.

As I was earlier , the defence is weak. The defence let us down completely . Any opportunities for attack were not availed. IN this whole tournament, Pakistan overall played poorly . They failed to address their weaknesses after every game. Last Game against RSA made it so clear that defense order was not doing its job. This game even the attack side completely failed. How many Olympics have gone by and we have not reached the semis at all. The drought started after 1984 Olympics.

please change our national sport from hockey to cricket or gilli danda!

I would agree with comments that this result shows that Asian Hockey style has finished. I would request all "OLD" olympians to stop saying that Asian style hockey is best style of hockey. Yes , it was , but now it is not. Europeans has modified this game in their own advantages , they take full advantage of long passes and no offsite rules etc, while we always rely on short passes. So dont blame this team . This is not their fault. Both Indian and pakistani hockey management has to sit and think what is wrong on their side. We are now small guys in this fast game so to become powerful horse again , we have to leave our asian hockey style forever.

Change the style. Become physically and mentally strong. Two months or three months training doesn't do any thing. Years of hard work does it. Select a team a years in advance, then wheight training and miles of jogging, if Pakistan wants to fight a stronger team.

Pakistan Officials LOOSERS...give same excuse... We Were here to prepare for coming world cup or Champions Trophy.. the artifical grass intentionally put us corner. ~ warna admi hum bhi thay kaam kay

Hockey has shifted from skill to physical fitness. They couldn't beat us with skills so they changed the rule of the game knowing well Asians cannot compete with Caucasian in physical fitness.

We need to have longer memory than last 15 years. When field hocky was on grass it was poor man's game and Pakistan and India ruled. It all changed when turfs were introduced. Pakistan and India were not able to fund a turf at every town even district level due to the cost associated with it. Fitness, agility, strength, stamina if Jahangir and Jansher could maintain rest of the team can too. It is only the turf and turf style which makes it possible to do long, fast passes. Ball goes much faster on turf compared to grass. These guys cannot "time" the ball. You get beaten by this margin when you cannot time the ball. I would recommend hocky federation to find a cheap alternate to find the type of environment which is not costly and replicates the speed. Remember people started making the cricket ball wet for speed. Problem is if you let the players play on hard surface they get hurt. I bet a special ball can be designed with texture that "floats" on grass with same "pace" as a regular ball on turf ... Till we provide right environment we wont be able to beat Aussies or Germans ... not players fault.

there is urgent need to improve sport infrastructure in south asia....unfortunately india not doing anything for this, new youth is more focused on cricket only ban cricket and focus more on olympic sports if south asia want some pride...... from India

As expected PAK lost to AUS.Even I never expected such a crushing defeat.7-0.The Captain Sohail Abbas,as usual was having a chat with the manager during the match waiting to come on for the Penalty strike,which never came.Sohail should be on the pitch for the full duration of the match.If he has passed it then he should retire.Today's hockey is fast, aggressive and razor sharp reactions.A player over 30 cannot match with this.That is the start for the future.Water based astra surfaces like the one PAK played on against GB and now AUS is fast,in fact very fast.PAK has to get used to playing on such surfaces in Pakistan or come out to play/practice on such surfaces to build up a team for the future.All is not lost I saw a lot of talent out there this morning against AUS,We have to encourage the youngsters to go forward.Sohail should resign.He was a hero of the past and his era is gone.He should train and pass his knowledge over to a younger player.

Nice to see encouraging comments from Indians. It is not a consolation to think that we did better than India. The fact is that Pakistan and India are just fanatics about cricket and the people nor the authorities support Hockey or other sports! More so in Pakistan than in India, who has gone to win a few medals, Congrats! But very disappointing for Pakistan to not win even one medal. It's a failure for the nation as a whole to not provide a good platform for athletes to come through. I do applause all the athletes that represented Pakistan at the Olympics.

The hockey players of India and Pakistan just go to Olympics at Government's expense, enjoy, get the "Olympian' tag and return. The hockey players of both countries need to be taught to value their respective countrys' Olympic tickets. Defeat is one thing. Lack of decent effort and fight and not competing fiercely enough is quite another. Both countries should stop sending their teams to Olympics unless their teams prove themselves by winning the world cup/champions trophy. The results of Asiad,CWG and Sultan Azlan Shah cup mean nothing.

Pakistan were luckey to have reached this far in the tournament. The reality is that their standard was very low. I saw four obvious reasons for their loss in the Olympic matches. 1- Players were unable to stop the ball cleanly and control it in the first attempt. ( this a very basic skill for any player) 2- Physical condition of players was not sufficient to last them through 5-6 games of the tournament. 3- Inacurate passing cost the ball control, plus passing technique they used was obsolete. ( Moden tech. uses: Blind passing) 4- Last, but not the least was COACH. Just a picture of the coach will say everyting about the team.

Why losing by two goals is understandable????? Do the Australians or anyone else make such statements? Why we Indians and Pakistanis only make this kind of statements?

I was hoping for a miricale

Why shame? What do you expect ? Miracles!!! This is a macrocosm of of what has been going around in the country.

i felt pitty for the people came to watch game with Pak flag, its a shame, coach and selectors should be thrown out... this crucial game was lost in very 10 minutes, body language of players was lost, they had no coordination, passing, they could not stop the ball and could not hold the balls.... very ordinary display, we need fighters not losers... there was no aggression or the team work... very disappointing....

Sad day for Pakistan. Hockey lovers like me pinned hopes on Pakistan when India became a non starter by losing all games. Pakistan Hockey disappointed us. I thought Pakistan will win a medal in Men's hockey considering its potential. Europeans have changed rules, surface (this time it was blue) and ultimately style of field hockey, and successfully ruined hockey in India and Pakistan. Day is not far when loss against China will read as 4-0.

Poor show, this tells easily we crumble under pressure.

Agreed

Not very fair to compare performance when playing with different teams.

I think its a conspiracy by Western countries

Useless diet, abysmal fitness levels, zero motivation is the reason that we as former Olympic champions are being thrashed as if we are newbies to Field Hockey. Pakistan should give up on field hockey altogether because we neither have the fitness nor the grooming program in place in country to support a top tier team. Lets not blame PHF alone. That they are incompetent is already established. But all physical sports (Hockey, football) require conditioning from the inception and they are drastically different from less intensive sports such as Cricket that remains our obsession.

Unless we start playing on artificial turfs in sub continent, we will never catch up with the Europeans and Aussies.

Pk hockey isn't far from the natural state of affairs of the country. In the political arena this is how pakistanis are treated. Get used to it. :)

you need to look it from a diff lens. Richer nations spend millions of dollars on their sport teams and athlets. Pakistan and many other nations cannot, and hence cannot train them and provide them with teh same level of facilities, and tools. Its simple. Just look at the top list of medal wining countries in olympics. Olympics is for rich nations period.

Have we ( India and Pakistan ) ever considered that our craziness for cricket is a major reason for our failure in all other sports.

Dear All, It was not the introduction of the artificial turf or the removal of the offside rule that made Pakistan lost today. Pakistan are actually a good team but at the moment they are just not as physically strong as their counterparts. They can never win games so long as it remains men against boys (physically speaking). Pakistan seriously need to get a good diet and hit the gym before they will challenge. They need to put on some serious muscle/weight as some members of your team just don't have the muscle mass. Even look at Ric Charlesworth's comments after the match. He said playing against Germany will be more difficult as they are such a bigger and stronger side. Many countries have very good stick stills nowadays as many Europeans also play indoor hockey to sharpen their craft. So the Asian teams can't just rely on good stick skills to make them win. Also if you notice teams like Australia, they pass the ball a lot and it is very short and sharp with great combinations, none of this individual dribbling for ages. A couple of really basic things that Pakistan do that Australia would never do is: - Belt the ball from the flanks into the circle hoping for a goal deflection. It just never happens as defenses set up walls and the chance of scoring like this is probably 5% (Pakistan does this but India does it far more and it never works. That's just an old grass hockey tactic). - Lift their stick to hit the ball from the top of the circle. Most goals are scored 7 metres out from goal, not from the top of the circle. If you raise your stick to belt the ball the defender can easily knock the ball away. Look at Glen Turner's goal against Pakistan. It was a classic modern day hockey goal where the goal was scored from 2 metres out. Also, look at South Korea's goal against India. The player slapped the ball (not hit) from just inside the circle giving the defender no chance to pick him off (although sometimes it is still good to hit the ball). I'm from Australia and all kids are taught to play hockey on grass and then move to artificial turf as they get older and progress. Up until 5 years ago there was only 5 water based turfs in Perth and this is where the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for Hockey is! Now there are about 8 or so. So it's not as if we have only ever played on astro turf. Grass pitches in Australia out number artificial surfaces about 20:1!. Whilst I'm on the topic of artificial turf, the Australian's were training on the blue turf for months yet in Lahore your blue turf still hasn't been laid! Stuff like this really shoots you in the foot and it is down to poor administration. This is not the end of Pakistan hockey by any stretch. In fact, this is a great opportunity to get it right as you are still a decent team. So if you iron out these issues you'll be much better. However, getting this right will take years. Australia only won it's first gold medal in 2004 and the AIS was set up in the 1980s to help achieve this. This gives you some idea of how long (but worthwhile!) the road can be. You really need to engage with schools, universities and hockey clubs to get a strong domestic competition in your country with modern coaching techniques. I personally think the PHF is useless as a country with such a proud and rich hockey history and passion for the game should be taking full advantage of this but this clearly isn't the case. Anyway, that's an argument for another day. I hope Pakistani players play in the new Hockey India League with all the international stars so it will give them an insight on what it takes to get to the top and the professionalism required. I'm sure many international players can learn off the Pakistani's as well. Best of luck! This is not the end. Treat this as a valuable lesson and build on it.

In India I hardly see anyone playing hockey (I see more boxing, shooting, badminton now), no wonder how bad India performed. Pakistan's overall performance in this Olympics hockey series was better than India. If more youngsters start playing hockey and that too with modern approach, then only hockey can improve in south asia.

Excellent analysis mandeep!

india is losing badly but i dont mind till pakistan is not winning.

I think it was fixed!!!

Hahaha......... awonderful defeat !!!!!! Remarkable performance by loosers..

I think pakistan is the largest population country without a single medal.That is something to be proud of.....

Today Australia showed that Pakistan who used to dominate the hockey world has now become a minnow in front of Aussies as well as other European teams. There is very little hope that PHF & Govt. will learn any thing from this humiliating defeat. But what they need is as other people have commented on this forum that Pakistani player have to work on their physical training and adopt a change in the game i.e. from traditional dribbling to fast physical moving game. Last time Pakistan won in the Olympics was back in 1984. In 28 years the team's performance has gone down rather getting improved. I hope one day somebody will take charge of PHF who has a brain and who wants to bring the glory back to the nation. Otherwise with this kind of performance, we might not be able to see a berth in the next Olympic games in RIO.

Start preparing for 2016 OLYMPICS...RIO..Train/ invest in new young players and 100% sack the entire PHF administration. Farooq shaikh

Actually that is not a reason to rejoice at all . Would have been nice if either India or Pak had won a medal. That would have at least demonstrated that there is still hope for Asian hockey.

It is better India and pakistan dont play hockey with european teams. It is a shame to lose like that to Aussies.

India and Pakistan are a spent force in filed hockey. We love to bask in our past glory, wake up and smell the coffee. There is complete mismanagement by the hockey federation on either side of the border. Half baked players are playing at national level, those if they were palying in other top 5 ranked countries, would not even qualify for their club teams. We have 3-4 good player and the rest are mediocre. The same problems are repeated time and again after major competitions, we are physically and mentally nt strong, we dont have enough artificial turfs etc etc. A sincere effort in revamping the system on both sides, maybe with a joint effort, is needed. A 5 year plan laid out, young talent searched for at an early age, trained in every aspect, ensured income for player and family, facilities upgraded, administartion officials taken to task for failures. Or we can dig the grave of south asian file dhockey and bury it forever. BTW I can assure you, if cricket is made an olympic sport, then China will win the gold medal. India and Pakistan cricket future would be tha same as field hockey.

no point in saying that oh Pakistan did better than india...thats what people do in order to make themselves feel better...but the fact is Pakistan put up a horrid performance, nothing anyone says can make anyone feel better...pakistan were humiliated badly

No problm pakistan... bad time shall pass

If Olympics is for rich nations, how come Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE etc do not win a lot of medals?

It's time Pakistani should realize that hockey is a different game now. It requires physical fitness more than skill and we can not complete with Europeans on physical fitness. I lived in Karachi for two years and I could not exercise as much as I did abroad. The stress, the climate and the food is not the same.

Nil! to 7. It seems that the will , zeal, effort, emotion, is all missing among our players. How can a team win without these qualities? On top of this defeat are bragging, overconfident and too optimistic hockey officials. Please for God Sake revive it or our this national game will meet its death soon. Some very good team efforts for gold silver bronze have gone into this Olympic and 15, 17 year olds have won laurels for their countries. On the podium and in front of media their faces have clearly shown that they have the Will to win, They are Zealous, They have put Effort, They have the Emotion & Patriotism for their national flag. The run by the South African on prosthetic legs. What a great example of devotion and effort for his nation. I also learned that quite a few winners in this game earned only petty stipend while preparing to participate. Our players the Hockey players from yester years have also played on petty stipends and have won laurels for their country. Can anyone in our country repeat the same?

I hardly ever use the word hate. But I am COMPELLED to do so right now. Why, why do you have to say that this was a HUMILIATING DEFEAT? Pakistan went so ahead in this Olympics game. So what if we lost? Why label it humiliating? Okay, I get it. It is 7-0. BIG DEAL. But this behavior of being so judgmental and harsh. It is pathetic. I am very disappointed, in NOT PAKISTAN BUT THOSE NEWS AGENCIES who so very conveniently label these men's effort as humiliating. I am so upset right now. For the Pakistan Hockey team, good going you guys. You did your best. Today and always.

This is a wonderful comment. I thank you for such an insightful note. I truly appreciate good words on how to do better next time. It was a loss alright. But as you said, this is not the end. Thank you, thank you very much. I would like to share your comment with my circle of people. Bless you. Peace be with you.

That is very harsh on your side. I consider you read Scott's comment. thank you very much.

Partly true but for a nation that sends in athletes for barely a handful of competitions, surely we can and should invest in hockey. After all it is the national sport. And fairly popular not just at the time of the Plympics or Azlan Shah tour or the WC.

I am not sure why people are surprised. Pakistan Hockey has been downhill for the last 15 + years. There is too much politics and deserving players are not give chances. You need to know someone to get into the national side. Also you have understand that Men's field hockey is a very low profile sport in Europe and Australia. Most players have full time jobs and play as amateurs. It is sad that Hockey being a major sport in Pakistan and India, and we still are not competitive, where the countries that beat us convincingly are not even followed that seriously by their own country.

Thank you very uch Scott for the kind words and sound advice. Hope it gets taken into consideration by the people incharge. On a lighter note; Dawn moderators, how does this gets printed and often when upo post in more than 6-7 sentences, you get an error message that the message is too long, eh? :-)

Fair enough but we have been cricket crazy when we were dominating the hockey teams int he past. so that argument doesn't hold much water. some but not much...

Since 2000, China has put over 4.5 billion dollars to their Olympic program, and from last 3 Olympics they have been top 3 as in medals counts, and in this Olympics have are currently leading in medals count. During last Olympics Briton only won 3 gold medals, so their Olympic committee decided to create lottery system to fund over 2.5 billion dollars to their program and now they are currently in 3rd place with 20 gold medals. Point is that athletes are developed by creating the right environments.

India is on right track and trying to do their best by funding some programs, but due to generation gap, older politicians don't treat these programs as a priority, along with some old school corruption has hinder these programs. Not sure where to start with Pakistan, which has no infrastructure, and lack of funds, corruption, and illiterate athletes. One other main factor for lack of success in Olympics for both countries is “CRICKET” and which they truly never dominated (except for 3 months India was #1 in Test). Players from both countries are just a cricket players, but they are not true professional athletes. Athletes from developed countries approach their sport as a profession and as job with full dedication, with none of “National Pride” mumbo jumbo.

It's time Pakistani should realize that hockey is a different game now. It requires physical fitness more than skill and we can not complete with Europeans on physical fitness. I lived in Karachi for two years and I could not exercise as much as I did abroad. The stress, the climate and the food is not the same.

The West puts so much emphasis on competitiveness and on winning, that the sport is more like a war, closely watched by everyone to see who wins. Gone are the days when a sport was just a sport and winning or losing was really irrelevant, as long as everyone was having fun. In the West, players are paid in the millions, much more than "brain surgeon" could ever possibly make. The players are "custom made" - where they are constantly trained and their whole life revolves around the sport. Winning is all that matters and the cost is irrelevant. Don't you see players suffering from complications afterwords, committing suicide due to depression, having absolutely no life skills and basically, be a fantastic player in that specific sport, but otherwise basically nothing! There is so much emphasis placed on entertainment, that people in the west want to see more and more - and to satisfy the market demand, steroids are used by these players to enhance their performance - i am not specifically pointing to any sport. Our players, on the other hand, are playing for fun. Their lives are balanced and if in that process, they end up winning, great - if not, at least they had a good time playing.

simply embarrasing to watch

Sir, I entirely agree with you. But the main reason still remains that is lack of stamina on an astro turf. Ever since, the teams from Pakistan and India started playing on a synthetic surface, the down fall started. Hockey in our countries is a grass root level game. The real factor we forget is the genetic factor. According to a recent scientific study, the people of south Asia region have a lower skeletal mass as compared to any other ethnic group in the world with the same body fat as other groups have. This is one of very important potential reason for the countries in our region not flourishing well in sports as compared to Chinese, Europeans, Americans and African continent. It is far sure that one required many times more physical fitness and stamina on the synthetic surface which other ethnic groups can have because of this inherent genetic factor. Of course exceptions are there and some athletes doing well in sports may be defying this logic biological factor because of their intense motivation and self endurance. But that is surely very rare. BNA

Excuses Excuses and more Excuses....This is just what we are left to now...We just blame them for everything like its a conspiracy.....Did you watch the match..?? It was pathetic perfomance to say the least...Pakistanis were running after the ball like amateurs They did not mark any australlian player and they were passing at will...When our player did got the ball there was no body around for a pass and even if there was our players were more interested in keeping the ball to themselves and going straight for the goal or otherwise they would throw long scoops without any target... The australlians made them look like amateurs ..It was not much about physical fitness then basic passing techniques and gameplay...What our players dont realize is that hockey is a team game and not individual where they start running the ball with themselves... Thats the common pakistan mindset in games anyway...You go to any field and you would see kids,teens and adults playing every team game this way where its more about individual than whole team.. That's actually the core reason why they lose again and again to european teams You see Barcellona or Spain in football they play like a team with amazing understanding and they rule the world.

Disgusting not worth commenting.

What is left? Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, lattu and Gilli Danda? If these go to Olympics India/Pakistan will win 2-3 times and then other teams will learn, improve and dominate.

so you think 7 goals in a hockey match is normal as comparing to the word humiliating? did you see the way they played? before you go all "mohibbe watan" know that olympics are no joke, again if you have seen the way they played, THAT was pathetic, you need to revisit your thoughts when you are in the clear..

sir, your views are amazingly good and motivating. this shows that you have a good knowledge about hockey. I appreciate Pakistani team and anticipate success in future. Thanks

Chief Justice should take suo motto action. He has lot of time these days.

This is no excuse ! Pakistan were top seeded team in the 60's and 70's and were still a poor country. Players such a Dar, Islah, Kalimullah and the likes excelled in almost any condition. We have given the team foreign coaches and expensive astro turfs and even then if they fail, its a shame. Politics is another unfortunate reality that has infected our hockey.

looks so funny as it looks as if Imran tries to stop the ball with his head in the picture, i think, Indian and pakistani hockey teams are only good to play in Asian Games. We do not even want to know what Indian hockey team is doing in the next match after losing four times already, our only guess goes with how many goals they will take to go down, it will be nice to see Australia VS India match, probably they will take atleast 12 goals.

Scott, your insight is very valuable. Now hope that someobdy will learn form it!!

VERY POOR RESULT. WHATEVER AUSTRALIA DID IN THIS PARTICULAR DAY, IT WORKED FOR THEM. AUSTRALIA HIT THE ROCK BOTTOM IN THIS TOURNAMENT WHEN THEY PLAYED A 2-2 DRAW AGAINST ARGENTINA. AGAIN IN THE NEXT MATCH THEY WERE HELD 3-3 DRAW BY THE GREAT BRITAIN TEAM. SO IN THE MATCH AGAINST PAKISTAN THEY LAID IT ALL OUT AND EVERYTHING WORKED FOR THEM, NOTHING WENT WRONG. WHATEVER PLAN AUSTRALIA HAD TO FOLLOW AGAINST PAKISTAN WAS COMPLETED 100%. THIS HAPPENS AT TIMES IN THE TOURNAMENTS. PAKISTAN COMING AFTER A VERY TOUGH WIN AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA, WANTED TO TAKE THEIR CHANCES AGAINST AUSTRALIA, BUT WERE NOT ALLOWED.

Ahmed, please get your facts right at least. Countries like Jamaica are not rich countries. Even China in spite of tremendous and continous growth of over 30 years has a per capita income which is still significantly lower than the world average. If you look at Jamaica's statistics in term of its population, it really shows how inept Pakistan and India are in sports. Finally, the rich countries did not get rich because someone gave them money - they earned it; why don't the rest?.

Thank you for your kind and wise words. You are basically right. But haven't you noticed that the Pakistan team is a bit sleepy as well? They seem to be asleep when the match starts ,needing 10 minutes or so to wake up or a quick couple of goals by the opposition in the first 5 to 10 minutes. Also, they lack aggression and one does not get a sense of energy and urgency in their play. They seem to accept loss as a matter of fate. Losing is fine as long as you have fought really hard and tried your utmost (effort + strategy) to win. That's not the impression you get from a Pakistan team. A professional and scientific approach is missing in addition to the lack of artificial turfs to practice on. Finally one must also remember that even in the days when Pakistan was winning Olympics and World Cups they hardly ever beat anyone by a margin greater than 2. And now losing by 5 goals difference plus is a norm for Pakistan. 7 nil was the worst beating any team suffered in this tournament; utterly shameful and inexcusable.

And not that we are excellent in cricket either, right?

Jaisay karni waisay bharni - the whole nation!

This is the most ridiculous argument I have heard from an "Indian". It is not doing better or worse than India. It is about the quality and level of the game which was displayed by Pakistan. I do not know when the people running the show will wake up and decide to do the right thing. As a local here I would recommend that India and Pakistan both should revive hockey and start playing hockey together. Forget Cricket. It is time to have matches between India and Pakistan in other sports.

Do not lose heart . Good days will come again . In all of Indian sub continent , including Bangaladesh and Srilanka parents stress their children to better in education . Playing any game is waste of time. It is the general attitude.

Sports should be privatized. Government should not be part of it.

Let the Pakistani officials take a hike. All sports should be privatized.

Regrettably and SADLY, I would like to add that whatever be the opponents standing, we knew it, its no secret. As if the Ausis were a a surprise, a team we have never encountered. To be so incompetent that we were not only unable to score a SINGLE goal (weak offence) we could not even prevent the onslought (weak defence). So what did the Team realy practice or prepare for when meeting international teams. The preceding matches showed all signs. It all boils down to building a team on Skills, a mix of experience and Talent ( both of which are plentiful in Pakistan). The sads part is that they are not entertained and have no connections. Our Team Managers and Organizers need to HONEST, period. A very Disappointed Pakistani

You have made some good points. However, putting on muscle mass is easier said than done. On an average an Australian is 5-10 kg heavier and 2 inches taller in height. This gap can not be bridged. Please dont forget that all Australian and European team players enhance these advantages further through training. Running on turf is more demanding and several changes to the rules made in last 2 decades have added advantage to the teams with superior athleticism. Off-side rule, now you can lift the stick beyond your shoulderwhile hitting the ball, and scoop it out of ground!! It is more of power than anything else. Like soccer the ball remains in the air for long time while hockey i should be played more on ground. Penalty corners are awarded for any infrigement within 25 yards line instead of the striking circle as before, and the conversion rate of Aussies and Eurpoean teams is significantly better than their asian counterparts. All that could not be adapted as quickly by south asian teams. I might be forgiven for sounding like a pessimist, but something extraordinary efforts are needed to revive hockey in south asia.I am not trying to discredit your victory here, I am only trying to evaluate the reasons for downfall of south asian teams.

Thank you Scott for such an insightful comments. Thanks a lot for your support Haider

Hi Scott! U have summed up well. I have other concerns for pakistani team. Managerial problems aside, I think the amount of energy per move per player per second banked upon by pakistani players. They r horribly below par physically, mentally and technical. The only area which they can immediately improve is the defensive ploys, i.e., learn counter techniques first and build their forwards to follow the pattern of australian attacks (through conserving energy, may be). Any way, I still rate the pakistani performance as "pathetic", and they know it.

Having going through all comments by different people who interested in Hockey,I am reaching at this point that defeat is not worse itself bcoz it provide opportunity to think about areas where the Weakness lie in your supporting hockey team.No doubt Pakistan and India led them down itself by not providing the facilities to their players which are the cry of the day.We Pakistan and India not only behind in hockey to compete the world but I think almost in every sports in the world,look around and think which sports we both country have significant and can challenge the world nothing.So we can,t say that Hockey is ended in Asia.To sum up,Both the country should have built a 5 to 10 years plan in all sports not in Hockey or Cricket,provide funds,all facilities,best training staff in all,introduce every game in grass routs level such as school,colleges,universities etc.To watch all activities in sports there should be a honest management.This will not provide you quick results but slowly and gradually you will be a strong nations regarding sports.bye

This is such an amazing comment. Thank you so much. This was a wonderful and a very informative read.

we south asians are not physicaly fit because of our bad eating habits, we eat more carbohydrates & fats than protiens, more fried & spicy food damages our genes....

In Hockey, Pakistan did better than India but ended on a humiliating note. Also, the problem is, India didn't expect a medal from Hockey whereas for Pakistan it was the only hope.

I think I Pakistan played well.They showed a lot of skills and talent but very poor game plan against Australia.Australians capitalized on Pakistan weaknesses. Pakistan was demoralised after first 3 goals.believe me or not.These guys need proper coach.you will see how they gonna shine.playing for 7th of 8th better than 11th or 12th

why can't hockey be played at different turfs like tennis, i guess south asian will regain their past, if they go back to grass...

Every institution in the country has been destroyed and hockey is no exception: thanks to the corruption, nepotism, bigotry and ethnic biases of the ruling elite. Then there is the usual rant about not getting a foreign coach and relying on our past players; yes they were great but today hockey has changed. New techniques, research, experimentation and a genuine will to excel is all what is needed. But who really cares?

why can't hockey be played at different turfs like tennis, i m sure south asian team will regain their past glory, as well the beauty of the game, if any one recall how nice and entertaining it was watching fast pace game, moves and passes on grass hockey. On turf it has become robotic game, long passes connect connect and goal, I certainly like to see some grass hockey too,

haha very well said!

talking abt .fitness of asian teams ,look at medals china is on top if china can produce good athletes being asian then .why not Pakistan? the problem is now hockey has changed cant rely on just dribbling because of new rules? short passes and accurate long passes is the key to penetrate opponents defence .Aussie didnt have great dribblers they pass the ball accurate and some body dodges . Pakistan can surely improve if they bring in new blood and with new stretigies,that is modern way of hockey. Good luck Pakistan.

First of all I do -Not understand our Olympics Policy (if there is any) we invest in the sports (having such limited resources) which require how many players & officials to compete in a sport in which will get us One Gold only, that is if we are not trashed out of the competition in the initial stage as usually is the case. Why not invest in Swimming, Racing, the sports in which if we get One Star Performer, we can achieve multiple medals. we have wasted so much time, for get it we never learn

Given the current turmoil Pakistan is going through (political unrest, economic unstability, lack of security, increased poverty, lack of employment opportunities, no mental peace for citizens etc etc) - Pakistan's representation is an excellent effort overall.

The main very glaring difference between Australia and Pakistan in today's match was Ric Charlesworth the Australian coach and Pakistani, Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel. Sadly, the latter was sacked by PHF just four months before the Olympics. Under the Dutch coach Pakistan had beaten the Australian team in November 2011 in a tri nation tournament. How can you expect any team to win when there are four different coaches in last five years. Secondly, in every sport there is a dedicated team or individual psychologist for mental temperament training, such arrangements are heavily invested. For the Pakistani team four senior players were sacked from the team on disciplinary grounds and only few weeks before the Olympics tournament they were reinstated. Such moves destroys mental peace of the players causing severe consequences for the entire team. There is dire need to find sensible managers in PHF who understand human requirements and feelings rather treating humans like machines where spare part changes at last moment doesn't seem wrong in running of the affairs for them. The players are not to be blamed as they did beyond their capabilities. Serious flaw lies with PHF and their management. We must congratulate the players for fighting bravely under given circumstances. Our fingers should fall correctly, pointing at the real culprits.

Scott - you have just summed up the whole situation for Pakistan hockey.... much appreciated and will be hoping that someone reads this and acts upon it.

They still do average in Cricket.

Hey Sathya, very right dear. When the whole nation is focused on one sport (cricket) then we might see more of such shows from South Asian teams. Hockey is a very exciting game when played by some great players of Indo-Pak in the yesteryears. But since the whole media of both the countries is focused on cricket attracting all the sponsorship, other sports would meet same fate. HAve a good day

What ab Indian female Boxer M.C. Mericom? a daughter of a poor farmer

unfortunately PHF has stopped taking any lesson. It is the same story being repeated over years

agreed

Both India & Pakistan had been great performers on international level even when facilities were very limited but player were having "Zazbaa" which makes a huge difference. Now I also smell foul play because there is no reason both the countries are being defeated by not so strong opponents.

actually the modern day hockey has been mutilated from original to suit and provide advantage the physically stronger european, australian teams; leaving behind south asians with little or no chance on artifical turfs. They have invented a whole new game, where the ball doesnt rests but roll and roll crazily.

why o you people have compare everything with india..please leave us alone.

:-( i am really sad.......

I am an Indian an I feel Pakistan tem is better than the Indian Hokey team atleast they won some games

excellent analysis ahmed...very true..we should appreciate our team and support them...they did well to get themselves atleast a contender for semi final spot on the last day of league round...well played Pakistan !!may Allah help us all

pakistanis should think about themselves only rather doing comparison with india. india is far better in every thing . at least our atheletes r trying and getting medals .and soon they`ll make it better inshaallah.

This is a Paksitani Hockey team, so donot worry. Where Pakistan has gone in its life of more than 60 years? Can we claim that we have improved on something, likewise hockey team is representative of the country Pakistan.

Actually Pakistani Hockey team need Fresh Legs/Fresh Blood....

Pakistan had made a positive move, a courageous effort to at least participate in the Olympics. but at the moment they are just not as physically strong as their counterparts. don't objective negatively, think positive. they never let the country down like cricketers who always got the lion'e share without any effort and bring humiliation to the country with loads of allegations.

sorry,banning cricket is not a solution.

You are joking of course. Ha Ha Ha

When you have political Qasim Zia and his cronies running the affairs.... no change can be expected. Do they have the moral courage to resign....... No they wont, otherwise how will they travel in first class with their families for tourism in the UK while the players feel what they did was enough. PHF needs a strong management team and not just ex hockey players

I would like to know why Pakistani`s always blame somebody else for their failures, it is not a pretty trait. Where has that come from, you did it with the 3 Cricketers, stop whinging and start getting Pakistan back on its feet. The whole country is crumbling into obscurity.

I like your sense of humour!

Thanks Scot , you hit the nail with the most accurate perspective and admirable insight of the game and the teams. Your candid reflection of taking over 24 years to winning the First Gold by the Current super star Australians team is way beyond and beyond the mental apprehensions of Pakistani nation as a whole , where quick fixing and quickest results are not only ordained but considered a divine reward for every thing and any thing we do as a nation . So not a 3 but perhaps 30 more Olmpc will come and go with Pakistan able to reach the lowest Medal Standing . I have seen the Pakistani Hockey team since past 50+ years and what I saw their work and capabilities in the last 4 league matches , I did not recognize this Team to be anywhere bottom rug of the Past teams , thanks for showering nice words about team as such but those are diplomatic charms you tried to lay out for this poorest of the team on technicality , stamina , physique , attitude , will for fighting it out ,,,,,,,,

Is this some sort of Record ?? I think they were all fasting !!

I can't understand what is a positive side . You mean because both India and Pakistan lost ie 2 negatives when multiplied will give you 1 positive ? So, both countries should celebrate at the result.

WHAT A HUMILIATING DEFEAT - AND ON TOP OF ALL THIS SHAMEFUL ACT THE PERFORMANCE IS COMPARED WITH INDIAN HOCKEY - WHY NOT WITH GERMANY / AUSTRALIA / ENGLAND_BECAUSE PAKISTANI HOCKEY PLAYERS LOST THE MATCH WITH THESE TEAMS._PLAYERS SHOULD BE TRAINED IN CAMPS BASED ON THEIR PERFORMANCE (ON MERIT) AND NOT_UPON TELEPHONES FROM THE ELITE CLASS.NONE OF THE TEN IN THE FIELD EVEN TRIED TO HAVE THE BALL IN THE AUSTRALIAN GOAL POST WHEREAS THE LONE GOAL KEEPER H.E. IMRAN SHAH (POSSESSING STRONG INFLUENCE ON THE SELECTORS TO BE THE ONLY LONE GOAL KEEPER IN THE SQUAD) ENSURED THAT NONE OF THE INWARD BALL TOWARDS PAKISTANI GOAL POST SHOULD HAVE ANY HINDRANCE - A SHAMEFUL ACT OF THE PLAYERS IN THE FIELD AGAINST A TEAM WHICH FAILED TO WIN FROM ARGENTINA AND WERE HELD 2-2 DRAW. ALL THESE PLAYERS SHOULD NOT BE SEEN IN THE NATION'S HOCKEY TEAM, THE SELECTORS TO FORM NEW TEAM BASED STRICTLY ON MERIT LIKE THE DAYS OF AIR MARSHAL NUR KHAN AND SHOULD HAVE THE COURAGE TO DENY ENTRY INTO THE TEAM OF THE PERSON RECOMMENDED BY THE RULING CLASS - DEAR SELECTORS GET-UP FROM SLEEPS AND AVOID REMAINING 'YES MAN' TO OTHERS (WHO DO NOT EVEN KNOW THE SPELLING OF HOCKEY STICK)_

Pakistan should select best players from the minority community as well who have the ability like India does. Peter Paul Fernandes (Pakistani) represented India at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In 1937, St. Pats Hockey Team (comprising of many Pakistani Christian players) beats Bhopal Wanderers (8 Indian Olympians)

lollll....this is because sports is not given priority in schools and colleges in Pakistan/India Mummy and Dady want children to become engineer/doctor one reason is that in our countries u need to be highly qualified in academics to get jobs....in developed countries u can select sports as a profession and earn good living playing at national level.

Olympics are not joke. But the training conditions and the facilities of the Hockey Team is. Enough said.

well done pakistan! but I didnt expect you to get such trashing from the aussi.never mind just learn from your mistakes and you will improve.

What they need is STAMINA and CONCENTRATION on the game.

Don't know about India, but almost 80 percent of our sports fund goes in the hands of our corrupt politicians. Then how can we expect better results from our sports?

Good analysis. It is all about participation, learning, enjoyment and local competition and community involvement. Anyone with stronger base will be more consistent in performances they may not win everytime but the difference in highs and lows will be smaller. Even if Pakistan had beaten Australia yesterday it would not have meant that Pakistan current hockey base is stronger than Australia. You are right that all is not lost, rich history is still somehow keep it alive at the international arena and we will be placed from 5th to 8th which is not that bad, if they do well in the next two games than it will be slightly better than expected performance.

Hahahahaha....but still we return home with empty hands.

Dear Readers. All of us are stressing over the bad performance of our hockey in Olympic games but we are ignoring other games and performance of the players.i appreciate the players of hockey team at least they beat two teams. what about those who dint even qualify.?this really pathetic.

Not only this is applicable to pakistan it's also applicable to India 4 medals from a country with the population over 100 crores is a pathetic one. It's dur to our corrupted administration and peoples crazy tro cricket

Happy to know that you too think that way. Will our crazy cricket media get over this fever and encourage other sports ?

It is wrong even to suspect the integrity of the player , besides the fact they did what best they can do. We should rather accept our low standard in the respective sport. Talent search at young age , committed training, providing good living support are the key. Do not blame the sportsmen.

Conspiracy? And the the games we tied or won; hmm - wonder if they were played under old rules? Mr. Jawwad, it is all about conditioning, conditioning, conditioning and more conditioning. Since Pakistan government cannot afford to provide the athletes the means to succeed, perhaps, the corporate Pakistan should consider sponsoring the athletes seriously not token support after their success. Development of athletes starts from home and subsequently through academic institutions. No conspiracy here in changing rules; the game just evolved.

Appreciate your concern Scott. But I think Pakistan is way more than a 'decent' team. Just last November, we beat your same Aussie team 4-3 at Perth in your homeland mate :) I followed most of the games we played at Olympics and it was heartening to see the way our guys were making moves and also scoring regularly. Specially the comeback win against SA was enjoyable! Pakistanis have special talents.. I wouldn't be surprised that with proper admin we will be winning medals very soon and not years! We don't need to put on 10kgs to beat Europeans or Australians. A lot of technical aspects highlighted in your comment are very true and needs to be adapted.. But above all we just need to use technology in a better way and improve our skills. I'm proud of my boys! Way to go and we are on the right track - Keep improving!

Excellent analysis.

A team gets penalties because they are playing hard. When teams get a penalty it is up to their opponents to start a rally and take advantage.

Could be.

When you are down 4-0 you just want to go to the showers and leave the stadium.

The best Defense is a good Offense.

feel sorry for pak hockey. all the persons who are associats with PHF should resign. all the senior players should drop from the national team. young players must brought in. a foriegn coach should groom them. the tenure of the coach should be longer. pakistan should adopt the australian or holland style or they should go to the old patern of pak hockey which pakistan played in seventies and eighties.

Fantatstic analysis Scott. You have have made very interesting points!

When merit is ignored and recommendation of the so called elite class is the key for selection such things happen. "fraud jamhoriat zindabad".

That's not exactly true. We do have gold medal potential in the president, the prime minister, the leader of the opposition and ofcourse the suo moto activist the chief justice. And there are 300 plus silver and bronze medal potentials in the parliament.

That my friend I gaurantee will never happen...........because....it took pakistan 5 decades and India 4 decades to come up with players like Imran khan and Kapil Dev who changed the face of the game in our countries for ever :D

I had big bursts of laughter after reading all the comments - - - - I think all those who wrote the comments deserve credits for honest opinions.

This is really a hopeless statement......we lost all 5 games including one against the lowly Belgium....atleast pak won 2 and put up some kind of a face....God knows if we will ever be able to challenge the best teams

thank you very much Scot. very good and useful advice given. I wish the administration improves it instead of discouraging our poor players.

By far the best analysis I have seen so far. Good job Scott. I agree that Pakistan is still a decent enough team that needs to adapt to the changing times. I agree with you 100% that astro turf is not the only reason for our decline. We won the Gold in Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 and won the World Cup 1994 in Sydney, both played on astro turf. In addition, we performed occasionally well in Champions trophy as well. We still think that we can beat more physically fit or technically sound teams with old style Asian hockey. For that you need players who are born once in a lifetime. Pakistan won the Golds in 84 and 94 mostly because of individual skills of Hassan Sardar and Shahbaz Ahmad. Players like those two are not born everyday, we don't have a single player who comes even close. Plus hockey has now become a complete team sport and does not rely on individuals alone. The biggest obstacle is the mismanagement and corruption by PHF and the political influence by the govt in the PHF. Right now Pakistan hockey is barely hanging on among the top 7 or so teams. If these issues are not addressed we will see ourselves out of the top ten very soon.

Who says that all the European or American players in Olympics are literate. Have you tested them? Most of them are only groomed to play sports. They learn to play a selected game, gymnastic, races,horse riding,swimming etc from the babyhood even under five have gymnastic for 2 to 5 years old babies. You need to become wise through education,discipline and team spirit and leadership is learnt through games and practical activities.Literacy is very important but it will depend what you read and what you learn from your reading. Developed countries involve their youth in schools primary and high in volunteering and fund raising activities for their players. what do you do?

Excellent, thoughtful letter. As a Pakistani, I congratulate the Australians on their professional approach to training, and urge the hockey administration in Pakistan to heed some of the lessons outlined in Scott's letter.

They should quit wearing shalwar kameez, even at home, and also dhoti.

well said scott...hit right on the nail ! :)

i do not know why pakistani blame players.they worked very hard to win the medals. problem do not lay with players but with money training and phisque.america spends atleast 3 million dollars per person for one gold medal.pak and india can not affords that kind money.best thing for poor countries to send less people with more training and less officers.good luck for next olympic.

Please stop labeling this as a 'humiliating' defeat. It was a defeat against a very strong opponent. Can Pakistan improve their current kills in hockey? Yes, of course. But they are no amateurs. Winning and losing is part of the game, but we shouldn't straight forward discourage the hard work of the Pakistan hockey team. They will come back strong for sure. I love the hockey team, as it represents my country and am very proud of them and their achievements.

Pakistan should take aleaf out of Chinas book start training kids at a young age in all sports then be ready for the next games.

do u think that just investing huge sums of money will get us gold medals. if it is true than how can kenya won gold medals . it is not about the quantity of money invested but what is more important is that to invest the money in avenues where we have more potential. therefore i think that India and Pakistan should choose some particular sports and focus on them so that they can develop those sports. Indians and Pakistanis are good in wrestling and hockey(i mean there is still hope) so instead of distributing funds to all sports we should choose 5 priority sports and try to invest our resources in them so even if we compete in less sports we would be able to get some medals from our priority sports. one more thing, i've been to many forums including Indians and Pakistanis where they are always fighting . but this is a forum where i saw people of both countries trying to discuss properly . i hope if we can do this more often instead of fighting over useless topics (which just wastes our time) than there will be good chances to improve ourselves as well as our relationship.

banning cricket would be like suicide, bcoz at this time cricket is the game which is giving us some pride. when hockey used to be popular in India than cricket never said to ban hockey so they can grow. cricketers worked hard and peaked at the right time. whereas hockey administration drowned into corruption. we Indians should change our habits to blame other factors for our own mistakes. people will watch cricket all day long and if we play badly than they will curse our team that they play only for money. but i want to ask those people that why they wasted 8 hours in a day in watching a game. don't they have some duties towards their country. people will say than we don't have good batsmen or bowlers, but they will not inspire their kids to be a sportsperson instead they would pressurize the kids to get high marks in 10th then in 12th and then give iit , than go to iims and than try to become get a govt. job( sarkari naukri) so that they can live life without any struggle. i think its time for us to wake up and understand our responsibilities toward oour country and taking responsibility for what is happening in India and not blaming others .