Hockey Champions Trophy: ‘Time to execute what has been taught’
Pakistan to take on Great Britain today.
KARACHI:
The Pakistan hockey team is upbeat about its chances in the Champions Trophy as it opens its campaign in the eight-nation event with a match in Auckland against higher-ranked opponents Great Britain today.
The Greenshirts underwent a series of training tours throughout the year targeting the tournament which is the team’s last international assignment before the London Olympics. The build-up for this tournament also saw the ouster of veteran players and former captains Rehan Butt and Zeeshan Ashraf, paving way for promising youngsters to show their mettle.
Aside from the Asian Games playing their first match, world champions Australia will take on Spain while Germany and Netherlands will play against New Zealand and Korea in other matches.
Pakistan team manager Khwaja Junaid agreed the event was unarguably the sternest test of the year for his players.
“We have a huge task ahead of us,” Junaid told The Express Tribune from Auckland where the event is being held. “This is the toughest test this year because almost everyone here is ranked higher than us.”
The Olympian, however, said his side was well prepared for the contest despite a low ranking.
“We have been preparing for months for this major tournament. The team is in good shape with a combination of junior and senior players. We have done our homework and are confident about our chances.”
The manager did feel that availing all the chances that come their way was key for his players.
“We have worked hard on finishing and hopefully the players will show an improvement from previous events. This factor will be a crucial one.”
Abbas, Imran key: chief selector
Meanwhile, chief selector Hanif Khan has rested high hopes from penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas and captain Mohammad Imran.
“Penalty-corners will play an important role for us,” said Khan. “We have experienced experts in the form of Abbas and Imran and I have high expectations from them.”
The former captain added that the team will have to show consistency in order to do well in the tournament.
“We have played very good matches this year and have a win against Australia as well but we lack consistency. The team cannot afford to be complacent and must do well in all matches that they play. They must win against England and Spain at least otherwise there won’t be a chance for us to finish on the podium.”
Khan said a lot of hard work has been done on the team for Champions Trophy and ‘it was time for the team to execute what it has been taught’.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2011.
The Pakistan hockey team is upbeat about its chances in the Champions Trophy as it opens its campaign in the eight-nation event with a match in Auckland against higher-ranked opponents Great Britain today.
The Greenshirts underwent a series of training tours throughout the year targeting the tournament which is the team’s last international assignment before the London Olympics. The build-up for this tournament also saw the ouster of veteran players and former captains Rehan Butt and Zeeshan Ashraf, paving way for promising youngsters to show their mettle.
Aside from the Asian Games playing their first match, world champions Australia will take on Spain while Germany and Netherlands will play against New Zealand and Korea in other matches.
Pakistan team manager Khwaja Junaid agreed the event was unarguably the sternest test of the year for his players.
“We have a huge task ahead of us,” Junaid told The Express Tribune from Auckland where the event is being held. “This is the toughest test this year because almost everyone here is ranked higher than us.”
The Olympian, however, said his side was well prepared for the contest despite a low ranking.
“We have been preparing for months for this major tournament. The team is in good shape with a combination of junior and senior players. We have done our homework and are confident about our chances.”
The manager did feel that availing all the chances that come their way was key for his players.
“We have worked hard on finishing and hopefully the players will show an improvement from previous events. This factor will be a crucial one.”
Abbas, Imran key: chief selector
Meanwhile, chief selector Hanif Khan has rested high hopes from penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas and captain Mohammad Imran.
“Penalty-corners will play an important role for us,” said Khan. “We have experienced experts in the form of Abbas and Imran and I have high expectations from them.”
The former captain added that the team will have to show consistency in order to do well in the tournament.
“We have played very good matches this year and have a win against Australia as well but we lack consistency. The team cannot afford to be complacent and must do well in all matches that they play. They must win against England and Spain at least otherwise there won’t be a chance for us to finish on the podium.”
Khan said a lot of hard work has been done on the team for Champions Trophy and ‘it was time for the team to execute what it has been taught’.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2011.