The team will leave for Argentina on September 22 to train under Argentine coach Lucas Di Paola with the manager Abdul Qadir Mamdot sounding confident ahead of the tournament. Pakistan will also play eight practice matches in San Luis under Paola ahead of the event that starts from October 10.
“It would be a great opportunity for us to train there prior to the event,” said Mamdot. “It’s a plus point for us to get used to the conditions.”
Pakistan finished the World Cup play-offs as the number two team behind India in Zone D. Zone A included Mexico and the US while defending champion Chile are placed in Zone B along with hosts Argentina and Brazil. The formation of Zone C with European region will be decided after the qualifying round is played.
Pakistan played their first qualifying round in 2003 in Lahore but failed to advance to the second round and were also unable to find a place at the 2007 World Cup. However, after a span of eight years Pakistan have reserved a berth at the top event that will feature the world’s top 10 teams.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2011.
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