LAHORE: While expressing disappointment over Pakistan team’s pathetic show in the recently-concluded Champions Trophy and its development squad’s poor performance against Canada, celebrated Olympian Manzoor-ul-Hasan Senior reckons there is no immediate solution to the crisis.

He believes the gloomy situation will remain unchanged for Pakistan during next month’s Asian Games in Indonesia and later at the 2018 World Cup to be hosted by India in December.

Pakistan finished last at the six-nation Champions Trophy held in Breda, Holland, where Australia won the title after defeating India in the final. Pakistan, despite having a highly qualified foreign coach -- Dutch Roelant Oltmans -- failed to impress in the event’s last edition.

Speaking to Dawn, Manzoor said while senior team’s performance was very much expected the poor show by the development squad worried him more, noting they conceded 26 goals in the five-match series against a lowly-ranked Canada.

“First of all no one knows for what purpose this development squad has been developed by the Pakistan Hockey Federation during the last three years. A couple of years ago, the same so-called squad stayed in Australia for four-month training but not a single player emerged from them to serve Pakistan either in the national senior or junior team,” Manzoor underscored.

“Now instead of sending the development squad to a trip to Europe where our players could have earned valuable experience, the authorities sent them to Canada.

“At the end of the tour, the [development] squad should have been in Breda to watch the Champions Trophy matches. However, the PHF sent them to another corner of the world [Canada] which indicates the federation has no vision,” lamented Manzoor.

He said Oltmans move to pull out his goalkeeper in the last six minutes of the match against arch-rivals India backfired badly as the decision enlarged Pakistan’s defeat from 0-1 to 0-4.

“Oltmans was first appointed as Pakistan coach by former PHF secretary Mussaratullah back in 2003-04 but he had strained relations with the federation. Later, India also tested Oltmans but sacked him due to his attitude. And no one can justify for what reason Pakistan has again hired his services,” Manzoor noted.

“If the PHF pays even one-fourth of the amount it is paying to Oltmans, to a Pakistani coach he can bring more positive results,” claimed Manzoor.

At next month’s Asian Games in Indonesia Pakistan had the chance to qualify for the 2020 Olympics by winning gold medal the past results indicate it would not be an easy task, he added.

“In the presence of India as the main rivals and the results of last year’s three-nation tournament staged in Oman [featuring Japan, Pakistan, Oman], Japan emerged victorious, I reckon at least there would be three main rivals for Pakistan in Indonesia including South Korea, Japan and India. Considering this scenario, chances of Pakistan winning gold medal look dim,” he said.

“Under the current circumstances, Pakistan’s chances in World Cup also appear very low because there are no immediate solutions to put things on right track.”

He said chief selector Islahuddin Siddiqi, a well-known Olympian of Manzoor’s era, should have resigned when Oltmans had succeeded in getting the right of deciding the final 16 players squad for any tour.

“When the head coach has to select the touring squad then what role is left for the chief selector should be anybody’s guess,” Manzoor said.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2018