Having already qualified for the Beijing Olympics next year, they are on a massive rebuilding mission. Their dream is to do well in Beijing and and the long-term aim is to groom the current lot of juniors and mould them into champion players. Butt was looking at the 7th Asia Cup in Chennai as a practice tournament to prepare for the bigger challenges next year.

"The boys we have now are the future of Pakistan hockey. We began the rebuilding process sometime back and the average experience of the players is between three and four years. We have to work hard for the Olympics. Players like Abbas Haider are very good. Imran Warsi and Mohammad Imran are also good in the penalty corner department but they need to score more. Though we did not do all that well, the Asia Cup was a good practice tournament for us," Butt said.

 However, having the likes of seniors like drag-flicking maestro Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Saqlain, Ghazanfar Ali, Waseem Ahmed and Dilawar Hussain in the team would certainly be a boon for Pakistan in their Olympics sojourn. The skipper realises what a Sohail Abbas can do for the team. "The PHF has not stopped any senior player from coming back. The PHF is ready to welcome seniors who are playing in the Dutch League. But they should prove their fitness in the local leagues. The team strength will go up if the seniors are back," Butt clarified.
 "We are giving a chance to our youngsters now so that they get the hang of international hockey. When the seniors are back, our bench strength will be good since the juniors would have gained experience," Butt said.
One thing that dismayed all teams was the standard of umpiring at the Asia Cup. Butt felt the same too. "The standard of umpiring was bad and all teams suffered. If umpires need to be promoted and given exposure, then the lower grade umpires should officiate in smaller tournaments. A team should not lose out due to bad umpiring since they would have worked so hard for the event.

"Players should also have a say because even if we appeal, there is no response from the umpires. It would be nice if video help is taken for crucial decisions, something on the lines of what was used in India's Premier Hockey League. That should be made a must. There must also be captains' meetings just like they have the meetings for managers and other officials. After all, the captains and players should have a platform to air their grievances," Butt stated.

Butt is certainly not happy with the way the Australians pulled out of the Champions Trophy, which was originally supposed to be held in Lahore from December 1-9. The International Hockey Federation subsequently decided to shift the event out of Lahore due to security concerns. "It is not a nice thing and they were promised top-level security which ministers in our country get. They were still not satisfied," Butt rued.

 The fiery right-winger, an avid horse racing fan, will be back in India for the PHL, which is likely to be held from December 15 to January 15. "I will be playing for Bangalore Lions again. But the duration should be short and not for two months like last time," he said. "The PHL should not go on and on like the hindi serial 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'," he added in jest.

 The skipper draws inspiration from the movie 'Chak De India'. "That is one inspiring movie and the main song is really good. There are a lot of real-life situations in the movie and we can relate to it. How they work hard and achieve results inspires us," he signed off.