New Delhi, March 11 (IANS) Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan Thursday said his team could not recover from their 1-4 loss to India in the opening game and that led to their finishing with the wooden spoon, the four-time title holders' worst-ever performance in the World Cup.

'When you come to a tournament hoping to finish in the top four-five and lose the first match, it is difficult to stage a comeback. We played well only in patches. But against Australia and Spain, we did well,' said Shahid.

Visibly dejected after the 2-3 defeat to Canada in the classification game for the 11th-12th places at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Shahid blamed the senior players for not playing to their potential.

'Yes, some of the players underperformed but that was not deliberate. Such things happen in sport,' the coach said. He also rubbished the allegations of match-fixing for the team's below par performance as 'ridiculous'.

Asked whether over-training could be a reason for the side's poor performance, he said: 'May be, we peaked early.'

Facing a volley of questions, many of them from angry Pakistani scribes, Shahid said seniors like Shakeel Abbasi and Rehan Butt did not do well.

He also expressed disappointment with experienced drag-flicker Sohail Abbas, who found the target only twice in the entire tournament. 'Definitely, we expected more from him. We expected him to score ten goals. But then again, three of his penalty corners hit the post'.

On the reception his side is expected to get on return, Shahid said: 'We will get what we deserve. We can only apologise to the nation.'

Asked about reports of Pakistan hockey officials looking for a new coach, Shahid said it was a natural move after the team's worst-ever performance. 'If they can find a better coach, I will back them.'

However, he chose to be diplomatic when questioned about his resignation. 'I will first sit with my friends, family members, and the president and secretary of the federation.'

Shahid, however, said the present squad has the potential and drastic changes should not be made. 'God willing, we will do well in the Asian Games.'

Shahid said Pakistan should find a foreign coach who could handle the team and lift the standards.

But he deflected any criticism about the squad selection saying 'This is the best possible team we could bring here'.

Shahid said India and Pakistan teams need to play top teams from Europe more than take part in bilateral series between the sub-continental sides.

'India-Pakistan matches are always pressure games. We should play more often. But to improve our level, we should play more against the European teams.'

On the game against Canada, he said: 'We had a bad first half. We got lot of chances in the second, but could not capitalise on them'.

'Overall, Canada deserved to win,' Shahid added.