The Sardar of hockey
Hassan Sardar is one of the finest forwards world hockey has even seen. He won the player of the tournament award at the 1892 World Cup, the 1984 Olympics, the 1982 Asia Cup and the 1982 Asian Games as Pakistan racked up an array of titles. The 59-year-old, who is now an additional collector in Karachi customs office, is currently in Dhaka as the chief selector of the Pakistan team. The legendary player, who came here for the first time since 1985, talked to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman about the game's past, present and future.
The Daily Star (TDS): Do you recall the 1985 Asia Cup match between Pakistan and Bangladesh where you scored a late goal to beat Bangladesh 1-0?
Hassan Sardar (HS): It was really a good match and I appreciated the young Bangladesh team, who had no experience while Pakistan were an Olympic-gold medallist team. Actually we took that match a bit easy and thought we would score a lot but Bangladesh gave us a tough time and they showed real spirit. We were also mindful of injuries as we were mentally prepared to play against India in the final. As time was coming to an end, I realised that the match was heading towards a draw, so I fully concentrated and finally scored in the last moment.
TDS: Pakistan enjoyed a golden time in world hockey during that period, but they are lagging behind these days. What do you think are the reasons?
HS: The present condition of Pakistan is very unfortunate. We struggled to qualify for the World Cup which is very unfortunate. There are lots of problems in Pakistan. The national championship in Pakistan is not being held for many years. Even we are also not playing international hockey regularly outside the country, and not playing any test series either at home or aboard.
The club league is not there, players are not paid enough. There is no sponsorship and no government support. The last time we hosted an international tournament was probably back in 1992.
TDS: During your playing career, Pakistan used to beat India convincingly, but the trend has reversed. Does that hurt you?
HS: The most painful thing for me to watch is Pakistan getting beaten easily by India. But this time I came here to watch the performances of my boys and see what they are doing. I am observing individual performance in a bid to form a better team in the next six months.
TDS: You watched the Pakistan-India match on Sunday. How would you evaluate that match?
HS: This time Pakistan played well even though they lost 1-3. Pakistan missed open chances and missed penalty corners and also lacked control of the game. There are weaknesses in the squad but they played better against India this time.
TDS: Once Asia used to dominate world hockey but Asia is lagging behind the Europeans. What do you think are the reasons behind the downfall of Asian hockey?
HS: Europe has a lot of facilities and those are supported by clubs. But I think India is also getting better day by day because there is a big league there where players from Europe and other regions take part.
TDS: Don't you think the installation of the astro-turf is one of the major reasons for Asia's decline?
HS: We won the 1984 Olympics gold and the 1994 world Cup on astro-turf, so I think astro-turf is not an issue. The problem is the lack of ground facilities. Pakistan doesn't even have many grass surfaces as buildings are being built on open fields. We need both grass and astro-turf pitches to improve hockey in Asia. However, some astro-turfs are being laid in Karachi and Panjab and we are getting 40 to 50 turfs now. So the players will get more opportunities to play hockey.
TDS: Do you think Pakistan should follow the European style to survive in world hockey?
HS: No, I think Pakistan doesn't need to play European style; we have to play Asian style. We are basically aggressive people [players] and need to have the capability of making body dodges. We need to follow the style that gave us a lot of success.
TDS: Recall some of your best matches.
HS: There are two matches I can still recall. One was against India in the Asian Games in Delhi, 1982. Indira Gandhi, Rajib Gandhu, Amitabah Bacchan and many others were watching the final and they wanted India to win but we were confident as we were the better side. I scored two goals [he actually scored a hattrick] and beat India 7-1. The second one was in the Olympics semifinal against Australia. I love that match because Pakistan moved to the final through my goal.
TDS: What is your observation about Bangladesh hockey?
HS: Bangladesh played well against Japan but they are not an experienced side. They missed a few chances but the goalkeeper was good. Some of the other boys did well too. They need to retain possession in the midfield and if they can do it, then they will have the chance to win matches against teams like Japan, Malaysia and China. However, the most important thing is that you have a league here and you should try out young players along with some good foreign players.