Shahzaib is an inspiring player, who wants Pakistan to win Olympics gold

Pakistan were a powerhouse once in the world of hockey. However, in the last couple of decades, the scenario has changed drastically. They failed to qualify for Olympics and have not done anything significant in the game in the last five years or so.

Due to this fall from grace, the generation that loved hockey in their youth has stopped watching the game as it gets only heartbreaking for them, seeing their team struggling on the turf. Meanwhile, the younger generation cannot connect to the game as they have hardly seen anything to celebrate in the field of hockey and do not have a superstar to follow.

Arguably, one of the reasons behind the national game’s downfall is a dearth of emerging talent from Karachi, who has given this country stars like Sohail Abbas, Hanif Khan, Islahuddin Siddique and many others.

Despite all this gloominess, Muhammad Shahzaib Khan, an inspiring youngster, has emerged from the city of lights.

Shahzaib became the first player to represent Pakistan in hockey after a long span of 14 years. Currently, he is with the squad in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, where the Men-in-Green started their campaign with a 4-1 defeat against South Africa.

“It is an honour for Karachi and me that a player from the city is representing the Men-in-Green after a period of 14 years,” Shahzaib said while talking to Bol News before leaving for Malaysia for the tournament.

Father’s support

The youngster wanted to pursue his passion and he had his father’s permission for it. His paternal family was an avid fan of the sport. His uncle and father played professional hockey but had to quit it for different reasons. However, it was his mother who wanted him to focus on his studies first rather than putting effort in the field.

Following his heart, he joined Karachi Hockey Association and eventually attended junior team camps. He recently featured in a five-a-side hockey tournament in Switzerland, which paved his way into the national team.

He earlier represented teams at the provincial and national levels as well. Meanwhile, recently he led Karachi’s team in the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Hockey Tournament in Lahore, where they ended as runner-ups.

He identified poor financial gains as the potential reason for lesser interest in the game in Karachi.

“Everything needs financial gains and in Hockey, it is negligible,” said Shahzaib, who is studying Marine Science at the University of Karachi. “Kids and parents avoid putting in their efforts when they do not see any fruitful future.

“The game is not as popular in Karachi as it used to be. If you travel to the interior parts of Sindh, no one is playing it. Moreover, no one promotes or sponsors the sport, so how a player can grow in these crises.”

The young talented hockey player revealed that the only motivation for him to play hockey has been his father. He hoped that he will soon start to make some money by playing the sport he loves, which will encourage him to work harder.

“Prime Minister has announced the resumption of departmental hockey as it was shut down during the last regime and everyone was stressed over it,” he said. “There is no job or source of income [in hockey], but I look forward to playing for the best department to go further in the game.”

The inspiration

Shahzaib has always looked up to Pakistan’s leading goal-scorers and no wonder he himself plays as a striker on the right flank.

“Goal-scoring ability and power have contributed a lot in Pakistan’s history. The tournaments we have won are because of having this habit of scoring goals. Samiullah, the flying horse, was speedy and played as the left winger. I made him my ideal. My focus is to make a name for myself just like he and other Olympians did,” he said.

However, he believes that in modern hockey, all players have to perform the duties of both the attacker and the defender and it is the secret of success.

“In modern hockey, every player is an attacker and a defender. Playing according to the coaches’ requirements is necessary. The position is the same but one needs to adapt accordingly,” he emphasised.

The talented striker is looking to make a name for himself and inspire his coming generations to pick up a hockey stick and head into the ground.

“I want to inspire youngsters,” he maintained. “I am still young, but I try to put maximum effort to help my juniors. The things I have learned so far in my career, I try to pass them on.”

“Not everyone can play for Pakistan. It is every kid’s dream but only a few are able to achieve it. I tell them exercises and drills that can help them hone their skills.”

The hockey prodigy dedicates around three to four hours everyday to training as he has two sessions daily. “In the morning, I work on my physical strength, while in the evening, I strive to improve my skills and implement them in game situations.”

Meanwhile, Shahzaib hailed the efforts of the new Pakistan Hockey Federation secretary Haider Hussain, who has been trying to promote the sport in the country to regain the lost glory.

“He is quite energetic and dedicated. He wants to help everyone, whether they are senior or junior,” he said. “He will hopefully be great for the sport in Pakistan.”

The aspiring hockey player also shared that the team has been benefitting from the presence of Siegfried Aikman, the coach, who enlightens the bunch with modern game techniques that Pakistani players lack at the moment.

“Siegfried Aikman tells us about new technologies, pressure handling and structure training. He guides us about modern Hockey in the camp,” he said.

Meanwhile, he has an interest take about the western method of training and play and he feels that if Pakistan players follow the same, they will not be as successful as their western counterparts.

“If we follow western training, we will fall back as we both have different playing styles,” he said. “We like to dribble and dodge, they don’t have these abilities but look to pass well and score.

“If we try to evaluate them, we will fail, but if we will make them play at our pace, we will end up at the right end.”

The dream

Like any other hockey player, Shazaib wants to be called an Olympian who brought gold to the country and he has been working hard to achieve that goal.

“My goal is to see Pakistan winning Olympic gold, we are far behind now but every player dreams of standing on the Olympic podium with the gold medal,” he said.