Former hockey greats on Thursday hailed national team's win against World Champions Germany in the quarter final of FIH Champions Trophy in Melbourne, Australia and said that after a long time Pakistan outfit had started fighting like a unit. "The kind of game they displayed and the attitude they showed is a very good sign for the future of hockey in Pakistan," Olympian Tahir Zaman told APP on telephone.
He said Pakistan team was in good flow and the boys looked physically and mentally strong which was necessary to win big matches. "The best thing to have happened was that Pakistan never bogged down. There was no inferiority complex. From the start to the end they showed amazing temperament," he added. He said the win against World Champions was necessary as it would boost team's morale and give the much needed confidence to boys.
Another positive change about the team, he said was that the boys did not keep the ball with themselves now, but transfer it to each other through quick passes. Tahir Zaman also lauded goalkeeper Imran Butt and said the way he thwarted some of the moves of opponents was great. "In their pool match against Australia and now in the quarter final, Pakistan conceded one goal each and the credit for that goes to Imran Butt," he said.
Olympian Hassan Sardar, who was also full of praise for the national team said, "It's a tremendous achievement. We needed the win badly. The credit goes to the entire team." He said in the semi final Pakistan could face a stiffer challenge therefore the players should show the do-or-die attitude. He was optimistic of Pakistan's chances to clinch the title saying, "the boys are settling and performing well as one unit. If they continue playing like that they can finish at the top of podium."
Olympian Shehnaz Sheikh while commenting upon team's win said, "We have not seen such a performance by Pakistan in recent past. Our boys were good in defence as well as while attacking," he said. However, he expressed the concern at team's failure to score goals on penalty corners.