India, Pakistan hockey
revival predicted
Pakistan hockey coach Tahir Zaman predicted India and Pakistan would again dominate world
hockey in the coming years.
"India and Pakistan will be at the top in just three or
four years time," Zaman said. "The results are already showing
and I say with confidence that our game is the real hockey."
Zaman said his views on the subject had become stronger
after the teams' fine showing at the recent Champions Trophy
tournament at Cologne in Germany.
"Both finished in the top four, which is no mean
achievement. I think over the years we've adjusted well to the
increased pace of the game.
"We might have taken time doing this, but now both
countries have a strong system and are producing players in
the mould required to excel at the global level."
The dominance of India and Pakistan ended with the
introduction of synthetic turf in the 1970s, though Pakistan
have shown better adaptability and kept afloat at the world
level.
Zaman feels stickwork is important even on the artificial
surface and crowds still prefer watching the flair of
players from the sub-continent rather than the precision of
the Europeans.
"Crowds the world over love to watch India and Pakistan.
It was not any different at Cologne. So why should we change
our style? We only need to adapt, which we're doing."