FIH Pro League: Pakistan captain Butt vows to not repeat mistakes in Australia leg
Butt backs Pakistan to put pressure on higher-ranked opponents during upcoming assignment
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hockey team captain Ammad Shakeel Butt on Wednesday vowed that his team will avoid repeating past errors and instead "surprise" top-ranked opponents during the Australia leg of the FIH Pro League.
In an exclusive interview with Geo News ahead of their departure for Australia, Butt said Pakistan's confidence has grown despite defeats in each of the first four Pro League matches.
With Pakistan set to play four matches during the Australia leg, two each against the home side and Germany from February 10 to 14, Butt stressed that lessons learnt from the opening phase of the league have been addressed, and the squad is now better prepared to challenge the top sides.
"The morale for the Pro League is very high. After seven years, Pakistan have finally returned to this level," Butt said.
"Competing against the best teams in the world takes time, but we have already shown a difference in our last four matches. Our initial performances were better than expectations, and we worked on the mistakes we made in the first phase," he added.
Butt also expressed confidence in his side's ability to turn the pressure around in Australia, insisting that heavyweight teams would feel the heat rather than Pakistan.
"In the Pro League, the pressure is not on us — it is on the big teams. Our strategy is to use that pressure against them and beat them," he continued.
"On the Australia tour, we will not repeat old mistakes. Instead, we will surprise everyone. Pakistan are in a position to win."
The Pakistan captain also highlighted persistent off-field challenges, particularly issues related to daily allowances, which he said often create difficulties for players when payments are delayed.
"There is a big difference in daily allowances, and when they are not paid on time, players face problems that are hard to even explain," Butt said.
"Quaid-e-Azam declared hockey as the national sport, but it does not receive the treatment it deserves. Even so, our players continue to play only for the sake of the country," he added.
He further underlined the urgent need for the revival of the Pakistan Hockey League, noting that promises of its return have gone unfulfilled for nearly nine years.
Despite acknowledging limited fan support, Butt remained optimistic about the future.
"I do not complain about fans not supporting hockey, because we have not won a major tournament yet," he said.
"The day is not far when this team will win tournaments and make the nation happy."
Pakistan's FIH Hockey Pro League schedule (Australia leg):
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