Imagine a boxer who has been told before stepping into the ring that he is to fight straitjacketed. Imagine, furthermore, that he has been blinfolded as well just before the opening bell rings. Now, imagine Ric Charlesworth.
Ahead of the Mumbai Magicians’ first Hockey India League game, against Delhi Waveriders in Delhi, their coach must be experiencing similar emotions with four of his 20 players packing up their gear and flying home to Pakistan, rather than gearing up for Wednesday’s contest.
Already Charlesworth had a minor headache in the form of finding a suitable position for team captain and marquee-but-out-of-form player Sandeep Singh. He was contemplating playing Sandeep, a defender, in the mid-field. However, with his options narrowed down, Charlesworth might be forced to rethink that move. Indeed all of his gameplan.
“We are at a huge disadvantage,” the Australian said on the eve of the match. “These four players (goalkeeper Imran Butt and midfielders Fareed Ahmed, Rashid Mahmood and Mohammad Tausiq) are some of the best players in the world, and they were central to my strategy. We picked a good team, young dynamic players and thought, by the end of the tournament, we’d be rocking. And now there is this setback,” he said.
It doesn’t help Mumbai are playing Delhi in their own backyard. What’s more, Delhi aleady have some match experience under their belt — in fact, they won that match — which should result in a better co-ordination among their players. Mumbai, on the other hand, had their practice interrupted by Shiv Sena members back home and had to fly to Delhi earlier than scheduled. The only positive for Mumbai, perhaps, could be that they will be slightly better acclimatised than they would’ve been otherwise.
However, if Charlesworth was underplaying his these problems on Tuesday evening, it was because his more pressing concern was not to make the Pakistani players feel unwanted (in a country where they were all but declared personae non grata earlier in the afternoon). And so, despite knowing well that they won’t feature in his plans tommorow, or for that matter during the rest of the tournament, he still included the four Pakistanis in his training session at the national stadium. In fact Charlesworth gave special attention to them, chatting with Fareed and Butt whenever they took a breather, and affectionately putting an arm around the teenager Tausiq’s shoulders.
“I’m very disappointed and sorry for what happened to them. They are some of the best players in the world and you are sending them away a day before they are supposed to play. It’s unfortunate and totally unfair. When I was of their age I was fighting against apartheid in South Africa. When put above prejudice, sport is wonderful. Maybe these players are just unlucky in that the Pakistani cricket team played here just over a week ago.”
Asked how the players reacted to the news that they were being sent back, he said: “They are very disciplined, they understand the situation. They are wonderful human beings. Obviously they are disappointed, because they wanted to play.”
Before boarding the bus back to the team hotel, however, Charlesworth was philosophical. “Players enjoy each other’s company, they are friends. They know sport builds community and brings people together. How can you build relations with your neighbour if you have issues like that?”
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The aftermath: how teams stack up if pak players leave
Mumbai Magicians
Players: Imran Butt (goalkeeper), Rashid Mehmood, Muhammad Tousiq, Fareed Ahmed (all midfielders)
The worst-affected side. Mumbai will need urgent reinforcements in the midfield. Coach Ric Charlesworth was banking on the experience of Rashid Mehmood, regarded as one of the best medios at present. Without the Pak trio, the Mumbai look depleted and the onus will now be on Australian Matthew Butturini to marshall the midfield.
Delhi Waveriders
Players: Muhammad Rizvan Jr (midfielder), Muhammad Rizvan Sr (forward)
They have lost two young, talented players who were a part of the Olympic and the bronze-medal winning Champions Trophy squads. Delhi have enough experience to let their absence have a serious impact though their foreign players have requested replacements.
Punjab Warriors
Players: Syed Kashif Shah (defender)
Though only Pakistani in the squad, the 19-year-old’s absence will have a big impact on Punjab. The Barry Dancer-coached side has only three defenders now, which will make it difficult to last for the entire duration of the tournament. They will look to bring on board another foreigner to strike the right balance.
Ranchi Rhinos
Players: Shafqat Rasool (forward), Muhammad Irfan (defender)
Shafqat Rasool brought in a wealth of experience in a forward-line which has Florian Evers as the only other big name. Rasool has been a vital cog in the Pakistani side for a couple of years now. Muhammad Irfan, their defence mainstay, too will be missed.
Uttar Pradesh Wizards
Players: None
The Wizards, owned by Sahara, will be the only team that remains unaffected after Tuesday’s decision as they did not have a single player from Pakistan on their roster.