New Delhi: Pakistan Coach Shahid Ali Khan called for the sacking of senior players following his team’s disastrous Hockey World Cup campaign.
Pakistan lost their last Pool B encounter to Australia 1-2 and finished as the bottom placed team in the group.
“I think four-five players who were called back in the team for the World Cup should be sacked first. Much was expected from them, but they let us down badly,” Shahid, without picking any name, told Sify.com.
Pakistan had recalled senior players like Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt, Waseem Ahmad, Shakeel Abbasi and goalkeeper Salman Akbar for the World Cup.
Asked about the rusty performance of ace drag-flicker Sohail, the coach said: “Obviously his performance has been very surprising in this tournament. We expected some 8-10 goals from him but he could score only two. People back home will not see whether he was unlucky to hit the bar. They will only see how much he scored.”
Abbott helps Australia beat Pakistan
The coach also said that the there are some juniors who are doing well and should be selected so that the side could be prepared for the Asian Games in China.
''We have many youngsters in our side, who will go on to represent Pakistan in many such World Cups but seniors will have to be more consistent,'' he said.
Despite the loss, the coach was happy with the performance of his team
''Today, our team played like a unit and we played well. In fact we had more chances than the Australians but we couldn't convert them,” he added.
