Date:11/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/11/stories/2008031160651900.htm

Sport - Hockey

Pakistan stunned

Karachi: A stunned Pakistani hockey community reacted to India’s shock failure to qualify for the Beijing Olympics with fears that it could herald a crisis in the subcontinent.

Former Pakistan captain and Olympian Hanif Khan said Pakistan should learn a lesson from India’s ouster which he felt was because of abandoning its style of game.

“The future looks very bleak for subcontinental hockey and officials in both the countries need to blame themselves for hiring foreign coaches and adopting new playing patterns which don’t work with our players,” Hanif said.

Olympian and former captain Hasan Sardar echoed the same view and advised the Indians to stick to the subcontinental style.

“There is nothing wrong with our style of hockey. We are facing problems because we are caught between the devil and the deep sea. Our players are not used to the European style of hockey,” he said. — PTI