I won't rush at drag flick again: Tirkey

HYDERABAD: A rasping drag flick from Pakistan''s Sohail Abbas that struck Dilip Tirkey in the face during the fifth test at the National Stadium in Delhi has resulted in a hairline fracture just below his right eye and put the hockey captain out of the tests at Chandigarh and Amritsar.
The incident made everyone realise the danger of defending a drag flick, and on Sunday, a few hours before the eighth and final test of the Dosti Series here, Tirkey agreed there was need to review the drag flick rules.
"Drag flicks shouldn''t be banned but they need a review. In any case banning it depends on the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the hockey community," Tirkey said.
With the ball travelling at 145 kph on its flight, and with defenders rushing to thwart the drag flicker, a potential danger is always lurking. Unless the rules are changed, such as restricting the flick to the height of the board, players can suffer grave injuries.
"Gloves and face masks will help a lot and if the rules are also reviewed, it would be less dangerous," Tirkey added.
Asked whether he would take up the rushing job in future, (he left that job to Ignace Tirkey at Hyderabad), the braveheart who since 1995 has played over 300 internationals said, "I won''t like to, but if the team needs, I will."
The Indian skipper was satisfied with the team''s performance despite a 2-4 series loss. "Overall, the team played well, considering that most of them had no experience of playing in high pressure matches. We gave Pakistan a tough fight and all the matches were decided by just one or two goal margin. We lost because we made a lot of basic errors, forwards suffered from poor finishing, there were some mistakes in the midfield and defence too but that was due to lack of experience," Tirkey said.