Aimed at bringing national sport into the limelight, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), with the support of national cricket stars, has decided to hold a five-match series between Karachi and Lahore before or soon after the HBL Pakistan Super League-8 being held from February 13 to March 19.
PHF secretary Haider Hussain said that the HBL PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars had named pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi as Karachi’s mentor and Haris Rauf as Lahore’s.
Both the Punjab and Sindh governments had given permission for the said hockey series, and they would be part of the league, Haider added. Pakistan’s prolific pacers, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, will play their role in reviving the national sport of hockey.
Lahore Qalandars will collaborate with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to revive the national game in the country. Initially, the Qalandars will form teams in Karachi and Lahore to begin their long-term plan for hockey improvement.
While talking about this project, Qalandars’ owner Atif Rana said it will take just two to three years to get hockey back on track. “We will follow our cricket development process and revive hockey in the country,” shared Atif. “You see, right now, hockey is an emotional game.” “We need to make it as financially strong as we did in cricket.” “It will take two to three years to make it financially appealing,” added Qalandars’ owner.
The Qalandars want to use their brand and star cricketers to promote hockey. As a result, they initially included their star pacers, Shaheen and Haris, in it. “Hockey doesn’t have stars right now.” “We need to create stars, but for that, we have to attract eyeballs,” said Qalandars.
