It looked like Pakistan hockey was finally beginning to improve at the Asian Games three months back under coach Roelant Oltmans but it was soon back in familiar territory.
The Dutchman quit soon after, Muhammed Saqlain left the staff midway through the Asian Champions Trophy and the team was struggling to mop up funds for the World Cup. Not surprisingly, the players felt relieved when they finally landed in Bhubaneswar late on Saturday evening.
“Yes there was a lot of mental pressure in the run-up. But we had good support from our federation. Despite all the issues, we were told to only focus on our game and not bother about other things,” Imran Butt, goalkeeper and one of the seniormost players in the side, told The Hindu.
“That is easier said than done of course and the fact that we reached the final of Asian Champions Trophy was only because the boys were mentally strong enough to come back into the game. As of now, we are only focused on our matches ahead,” he added.
Butt is among the key cogs in Pakistan’s wheel of hope, one of the seven survivors from the team’s last visit to the city and would be keen to replicate that success when Pakistan upset calculations — and host India in the semifinals — to reach 2014 Champions Trophy final.
He is also aware that hockey has changed in the intervening years. The world order has been rattled by Rio Olympics and Pakistan itself is returning to the World Cup after eight years, the last outing being in 2010, again incidentally in India.
More importantly, the last time Pakistan played at the Kalinga Stadium the team provoked the crowd with gestures and led to friction between the two federations that continues to simmer.
“I still don’t agree to whatever happened, it shouldn’t have. Aggression on field during the game is fine but what happened in 2014 was not right. It also affected us in the final because till then the crowd had been supporting us in non-India games but the final was like home support for Germany,” said Butt.
“All I wish for is that there should not be anything like that ever again and all the intensity of players should only be restricted to the game on field.”
From Lahore to Wagah via road and then transits through Amritsar and Delhi airports, the Pakistan team has travelled quite a distance to reach the World Cup venue. Butt, aware that this might well be his last chance to fulfil a dream, is hoping it ends a much longer wait for success for Pakistan hockey.