Pakistan finished a poor fourth in the five-team contest. —AFP

LAHORE Two former Olympians Naveed Alam and Mansoor Khan expressed their concern over the Pakistan team's dismal performance in the recently-concluded Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Pakistan finished a poor fourth in the five-team contest.

'The performance of the Pakistan team is alarming and it has exposed the planning of the PHF management,' said Naveed, who had to tender his resignation as coach after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where Pakistan earned a pathetic eighth spot.

'A better place in the Azlan Shah Cup could raise the players' morale before the Asia Cup (next month) but a fourth position has caused great disappointment,' Naveed stated.

He criticised the PHF secretary Asif Bajwa, who was accompanying the team in Ipoh as manager. 'This is the result of the PHF secretary's desire of grabbing all the power as his role as manager has put extra pressure on the players,' Naveed opined.

He also criticised the decision of selecting only one goalkeeper (Nasir Ali) for the tournament.

Naveed said in the last edition of the same event Pakistan won three matches to earn nine points, but now, he regretted, they could obtain just three points after beating a lowly-rated Egypt, and losing against New Zealand, India and Malaysia.

He said though Shahid Ali Khan was a good coach, but he was best in the goalkeeping department, therefore, he reckoned, another senior coach should be attached with the team.

Naveed said though the PHF President Qasim Zia had managed to raise funds for the PHF, his secretary was wasting those funds besides criticising senior Olympians.

Meanwhile, former captain and goalkeeper Mansoor Khan noted the national team's deep defence was poor but the forwards specially Shakeel Abbasi, he acknowledged, displayed better play.

He urged the PHF to prepare international-level goalkeepers as Pakistan had no quality players in this department.

The ex-Olympian cautioned that the time was short as the PHF had to remove all the flaws from the team before the Asia Cup.

He thought the induction of senior players like Rehan Butt, Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Waseem and Salman Akbar could make the difference in the Asia Cup.