NEW DELHI, Dec 30: The hockey federations of India and Pakistan have agreed in principle to make the Test series an annual feature, K. Jothikumaran, secretary general, Indian Hockey Federation, informed here today.Jothikumaran, who returned from Pakistan yesterday after discussions with his Pakistani counterparts, informed that proposals have also been received from neutral centres like Sweden and Dubai for holding India-Pakistan series and the matter is under consideration. India had put up the proposal before the PHF to have matches in neutral centres in order to avoid last-minute visa hassles which scuttled earlier efforts to revive the series.
Several other issues came up for discussion at the Lahore meeting, primary among them being fielding a combined Indo-Pak team against top hockey playing nations like Germany, the Netherlands and Australia. There is even talk of fielding a combined team against a World XI, and the proposal is to be sent to the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
A
heartening feature of the Test series has been the interest generated among sponsors, some of them multinationals. Keeping this aspect in mind, the two federations have decided to jointly market the event to maximise income generation.
DOMESTIC ISSUES: The IHF president KPS Gill admitted that a haphazard domestic calendar has resulted in several senior players incurring injuries at a crucial juncture. One of the first steps would be to grade tournaments, and then work out modalities for the National League on the lines of the football league.
The IHF is also deliberating on limiting the number of matches a National level player can play in a year. ``We have decided to prepare a list of National level players, and will allow them to play only a limited number of tournaments, especially before an important tournament or series,'' Gill said.
Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
