PHF wants Sohail Abbas to help PC specialists

KARACHI: PHF president Khalid Khokhar is trying to get the services of Sohail Abbas to help the Green-shirts’ penalty corner strikers for international events, ‘The News’ has learnt.
Sources in the PHF said that Sohail, who has the highest number of goals in hockey, met Khokhar during his recent visit to Karachi.
The PHF president said he wanted Sohail to help the penalty corner specialists, especially before international matches. He left it to Sohail how he manages his schedule to train the boys.
Since the retirement of Sohail, Pakistan’s goal-scoring has dropped in international matches as the authorities failed to produce players to replace him. Pakistan have struggled to make the most of the penalty corner opportunities in most of the matches since his retirement.
Khokhar told ‘The News’ that he had offered Sohail to coach the Green-shirts. He said PHF was hopeful he would provide his services to train the Green-shirts.
Sohail, the world’ best penalty corner striker, often goes abroad for professional hockey leagues. But he would respond to PHF’s offer in near future, the sources said.
Khokhar said that he would welcome all those who could support the rebuilding process of both seniors and juniors.
It is pertinent to mention here that no PHF official had offered Olympian Sohail before to coach current players.
The new PHF leadership has said that services of experts at this crucial moment can push hockey towards its revival in the country, the sources said.
Various names of Olympians and international players are being discussed for responsibilities of rebuilding the national teams.
It is the ideal situation to use the services of Sohail, the world’s best penalty corner drag flicker ever.
He can be used in the same way that PCB is utilising the services of use Waseem Akram for grooming young fast bowlers.
PHF’s previous narrow-minded officials were afraid of him because he had a much higher standing in the world of hockey than them.
The European hockey clubs know his importance and always invite him to play league there so that their youngsters may learn by playing with Sohail.
Pakistan failed to qualify for the Hockey World Cup 2014 and now Rio Olympics 2016.
A former Olympian said the country’s hockey now depended on the performance of juniors. “So it is time we availed ourselves of the services of Sohail,” he said.
“It would be great to gather all promising penalty corner shooters in a camp and have them trained by Sohail,” he said.
“Pakistan direly needs a few penalty corner specialists to excel in modern hockey. A penalty corner expert has the ability to change the game,” the former Olympian said.
He added that Khokhar and Shahbaz must use the service of Sohail. Pakistan captain Muhammad Imran is right now Pakistan’s best drag flicker but he failed to deliver in the qualifying round of Rio Olympics in Belgium. There is uncertainty about how long he will stay in the national team.
The junior team also does not have any quality forwards or penalty corner specialists.
The juniors will start their journey virtually from zero as they have been out of practice for one year.