India, Pakistan hockey
revival predicted

Pakistan hockey coach Tahir Zaman predicted India and Pakistan would again dominate world hockey in the coming years.

"India and Pakistan will be at the top in just three or four years time," Zaman said. "The results are already showing and I say with confidence that our game is the real hockey."

Zaman said his views on the subject had become stronger after the teams' fine showing at the recent Champions Trophy tournament at Cologne in Germany.

"Both finished in the top four, which is no mean achievement. I think over the years we've adjusted well to the increased pace of the game.

"We might have taken time doing this, but now both countries have a strong system and are producing players in the mould required to excel at the global level."

The dominance of India and Pakistan ended with the introduction of synthetic turf in the 1970s, though Pakistan have shown better adaptability and kept afloat at the world level.

Zaman feels stickwork is important even on the artificial surface and crowds still prefer watching the flair of players from the sub-continent rather than the precision of the Europeans.

"Crowds the world over love to watch India and Pakistan. It was not any different at Cologne. So why should we change our style? We only need to adapt, which we're doing."