Hockey Lover: Bright-eyed, ambitious voice, “The future of hockey in Pakistan is bright!”
Raza Rumi: In a sceptical voice, “Are you kidding me? Pakistan's men’s hockey team is currently number 15th per the International Hockey Federation (FIH) ranking, has not qualified in the past three Summer Olympic Games and could not make it in the last two World Cups, even though the World Cup includes 16, not the 12 best teams in the world.”
Hockey Lover: Arguing enthusiastically, “I know, but Pakistan has qualified to play in the FIH Pro League season of 2025–26. Now Pakistan hockey players have a chance to play 16 competitive games against the other 8 best teams in the world during the Pro League, allowing them to learn and hone their skills against the best of the best.”
Raza Rumi: Nods and replies with authority, “Yes, you must be talking about the Nations Cup, where Pakistan was beaten 6–2 by New Zealand in the final and qualified for the Pro League only because New Zealand, who had qualified for the Pro League after winning the Nations Cup, withdrew from this tournament as they did not have enough funds to send their team to different continents to participate in the prestigious tournament. To me, it seems Pakistan were lucky to get the qualification.”
Hockey Lover: Retorts back, “Hockey is not dead in Pakistan, even though many legends of Pakistan hockey tried to murder our national sport. Hockey is still played in so many districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
So many talented players have been nurtured in academies run by the likes of Tauqeer Dar and Rana Zaheer, to name a few. Hockey is in the blood of Pakistanis. Our players have supple wrists and light, limber frames that naturally allow them to exhibit outstanding hockey skills, which they even now display in international tournaments.
We have won three Olympic gold medals and won the World Cup four times since it was initiated in 1971 — a feat that has not been matched yet by any other hockey-playing nation.”
The Pakistan Hockey Federation has to give full authority of the team to Tahir Zaman until the completion of the FIH Pro League in June and the World Cup to be jointly held in Holland and Belgium in August 2026
Raza Rumi: Takes a deep sigh, “But the last time we won any Olympic medal in field hockey was 1992, and our last World Cup win was 1994. Since then, there has been a steady decline. The first time in the history of Pakistan hockey that our national sport could not even qualify for the World Cup was 2014.”
Hockey Lover: Clears his throat, “When Akhtar Rasool Chaudhry was at the helm of affairs in 2014, no one could have even imagined that a day would come when Pakistan would not even qualify for the World Cup.
But the signs were there about a decade earlier in 2006 when Pakistan were beaten in a Champions Trophy hockey match by Holland in Terrassa, Spain by no lesser a margin than 9–2, under coach Asif Bajwa.”
Raza Rumi: Adds further to the discussion, “Hockey rules were changing, the game was no longer played on grass but on astroturf. The offside rule was abolished, and hockey became a sport of not only skill but also speed and endurance.
Gone were the days when hockey was played stop–start–stop–start, replaced by a game of unrelenting speed, from one end of the field to the other. Now, instead of two 35-minute halves, hockey is played in four quarters of 15 minutes each. The pace of the sport is electric; game intelligence has changed, and teams with superior technique and tactics emerge as winners.”
Hockey Lover: Attempts to explain further, “Despite our natural talent, our legends did not grow the game as the European hockey fraternity did. Initially, Europeans and Australians left us behind; then the South American champion, Argentina, leapt ahead of us, and finally, our arch-rival India caught up and has won two back-to-back bronze medals in the last two Olympic Games.
The Indian hockey team humiliated us in the 2023 Asian Games by a margin of 10–2, under the guidance of another legend, Saeed Khan! The world of hockey still wants to see the green shirts — the Pakistan hockey team — come back and dazzle the world with their skill, for which they were once known.”
Raza Rumi: Remains sceptical, “The only time Pakistan performed better was under a foreign coach. The last time Pakistan won the Asian Games gold was 2010, under Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel — a tournament that had followed the World Cup held in India, where Pakistan earned the wooden spoon, under the guidance of former legend Asif Bajwa! What is different now?”
Hockey Lover: Tries to convince, “Tahir Zaman is our new field hockey coach. He has played hockey on astroturf and was part of the 1992 Olympic bronze and 1994 World Cup-winning teams. He has a good head on his shoulders, has great experience coaching the Egyptian team and other international assignments, besides showing that he is truly determined to change the fortunes of Pakistan hockey.
The Pakistan team that won the silver medal in the Nations Cup earlier this year, under the guidance of Tahir Zaman, was a young and inexperienced side, but Tahir made great efforts to bring the team together and reach the final by beating a much higher-ranked team, France, on penalty shoot-outs.
The Pro League is not going to be a walk in the park, and Pakistan can literally be drubbed by the Netherlands and Argentina, who are much higher-ranked teams, unless Pakistan prepares for the Pro League on a war footing
Even though the margin of loss in the final against New Zealand was embarrassing, Pakistan’s overall performance was far better than in previous editions of the Nations Cup. Had Pakistan not reached the final, they would have had no chance of qualifying for the Pro League.”
Raza Rumi: Remains sceptical, “Are you saying Tahir Zaman is going to change the fortunes of Pakistan hockey?”
Hockey Lover: Replies confidently, “Yes, the Pakistan Hockey Federation has to give full authority of the team to Tahir Zaman until the completion of the FIH Pro League in June and the World Cup to be jointly held in Holland and Belgium in August 2026.
Tahir knows the boys and is actively monitoring players’ performance in domestic tournaments in Pakistan. Our hockey players respect him, and Tahir can convert this team into a winning combination.”
Raza Rumi: “Hmmmm, you mean Pakistan will win the 2026 World Cup?”
Hockey Lover: Retorts, “That would be an unrealistic expectation, but if the team avoids relegation from the Pro League and finishes respectably between 5th–8th in the 2026 World Cup, it will be a great achievement.
Obviously, we would want the team to do better, but if Tahir shows promise, he should be given a long run until the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) should look for a podium finish in LA.”
Raza Rumi: Looks up in the air, “But there have been no announcements from the PHF yet about any hockey camp for the senior team, while the first segment of the Pro League will kick off in less than two months in Argentina.
The Pro League is not going to be a walk in the park, and Pakistan can literally be drubbed by the Netherlands and Argentina, who are much higher-ranked teams, unless Pakistan prepares for the Pro League on a war footing.
This is a matter of pride for the nation of Pakistan, and we know that our armed forces have been very actively supporting Pakistan's hockey in the last two years to bring the sport back to its past glory. A five-million-dollar grant was approved by the government recently to support Pakistan hockey expenses in 2026.”
Hockey Lover: Speaks earnestly, “Raza bhai, that is the job of first-class journalists like you to educate the public and make the PHF accountable. Please do whatever you can to highlight that Pakistan can only bring back the reputation of the national sport through hard work, merit, allowing competent individuals to lead the PHF through robust elections, and most importantly, by developing a culture of accountability so that those who are incompetent and only playing politics should have nothing to do with the PHF in the future.”
Raza Rumi: Nods in affirmation, “I will do whatever I can. I understand your point of view. It is so important that we take our sports, particularly our national sport, seriously, so that while India and Afghanistan have refused to shake hands with our athletes, we can compete and beat them on the ground.
It is indeed even more important in this environment of hostility surrounding Pakistan. I will keep highlighting the importance of sporting victories for our nation and how those victories can inspire our youth to dream of bigger achievements.”