The Pakistan Hockey Federation has pinned its hopes on its junior players to help revive the sport in the country. PHOTO: AFP
The team’s head coach Tahir Zaman said he was hoping for a better show from his side, with improvement being his main target.
Pakistan will be up against Argentina and Malaysia besides the hosts at the International Super Series Hockey 9s set to begin tomorrow.
After the event, the greenshirts will take on Australia A on October 21 and will meet Argentina on October 23 before squaring up against Australia on the following day in a one-off Test.
Pakistan grabbed the bronze medal in the last edition of the Super Series but this time around, the target is to give exposure to the youngsters in the squad,” Zaman told The Express Tribune on the eve of the team’s departure.
“These assignments are a test for our youngsters. I want improvement from my team which is my target,” he added.
“We have tried to focus on our structure and the upcoming assignments will tell us what direction we are moving in.”
The team management, given the task of resurrection after the failure to qualify for World Cup 2014, included many new names for the Australia tour that will be followed by the Asian Champions Trophy in Japan.
“These youngsters have shown a lot of energy and skills at the training camp. But their real test will come with international outings. These matches will help us gauge their ability.”
Junior World Cup preparations begin after Eid
Meanwhile, the training camp of the probables for the Junior World Cup will be staged at Naseer Bunda Stadium in Islamabad on October 20. The mega event for the future hockey stars will be hosted in New Delhi from December 6 to 15.
As many as 41 players have been asked to join the training camp that will be supervised by former Olympian Manzoorul Hassan, who has been retained as the head coach and manager of the national junior team.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2013.
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