A reality check

The Asia Cup Hockey is done and dusted and India quite predictably retained the title in a country where they famously fell short of winning the regional piece of silverware 32 years ago.

However, India's heart-stopping defeat against Pakistan in that pulsating final in 1985 and their latest victory against Malaysia on Bangladesh soil provided a completely different scenario as far as the hosts' collective ambitions are concerned. The 1985 edition of the Asia Cup served as a hockey renaissance in Bangladesh when every kid took a stick, be it proper or not, in every nook and corner of the country. This time around the mobile-savvy next generation hardly noticed the passing of an event where the home team has failed to provide that much-need spark as was the case 32 years ago when they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat against Pakistan, one of the Asian hockey powerhouses.

Bangladesh did finish sixth as was the case 32 years ago. It is an achievement in itself considering the fact that the game has changed drastically since 1985, when it was played on natural turf. It is now more a game of power than skill, more physical and more technical.

But it hardly had a positive impact in terms of drawing crowds or making a lasting impression among the kids in this part of the world. The entry into the refurbished Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium was free but apart from a few games there was hardly a noticeable audience in the stands.

The result of the home team's first two games against India and Pakistan had a contributing effect to the low turnout. Bangladesh suffered identical 7-0 thrashings against India and Pakistan. They also suffered a 3-1 defeat against Japan in their last group league game.

The home team pulled off a 4-3 tie-break win against China in the place-deciding game. But as has always been the case, people only count how well you fare against the top teams. So, the defeats against India and Pakistan without a fight certainly put a damper on Bangladesh's ambition of finding a way of reviving the fledgling image of this game in the country.

But then the employers have asked too much from the players, who have been struggling to find a decent livelihood playing this game. They have asked for something magical from a set of players who do not know if the domestic League, which is their only source of income, will take place this season.

The federation failed to hold the league for two seasons due to severe internal conflict between clubs. It staged the last league in 2016 and a transfer date for this season is yet to be announced. The highest authority of Bangladesh hockey has recently developed the idea of having a lot of camps.

It is cheap, with each player entitled to a Tk 300 allowance per day, which is not even enough for transport from their homes to the ground. During the Asia Cup the players were entitled to Tk 800 per day, an astronomical amount for a professional player indeed!

Before the tournament we had lots of expectations, which is illogical. We wanted to draw inspiration from 1985. Unfortunately, at the same time we were forgetful that we have played even better hockey post-1985. Bangladesh's performance in the 90s and more importantly in the 1995 SAF Games in Madras was more fulfilling. Bangladesh arguably played their best match against Pakistan in Madras, where they lost the game 3-2 due to a controversial ruling from Indian umpire Shakil.

Mahabub Harun, who formed the fantastic strike force with Mohammad Sadek in that match, is the coach of this team now. He made a very interesting remark while recalling that game.

“Hockey has become a power game now. Our players lack physically in this area. They can only compensate that with skill. But to be honest that skill development could only be possible by playing competitive matches, not through camps.”