Baseball: Winning at home just isn't enough, says Pakistan coach

Dong wants team to tour more, aims for Asian Championship.

KARACHI: Despite Pakistan having confirmed its place in the final of the on-going South West Asia Cup in Lahore, the national team's coach Hwang Hoon Dong said that winning the tournament on home ground could not be considered an achievement.

The real aim of the team, according to Dong, should be to win the Asian Championship in October but for that the team will have to work harder.

Dong, who prepared the Saarc Cup-winning team last year, added that Pakistan can easily defeat Sri Lanka in the final that takes place tomorrow.

"The most important thing is to win matches away from home," the South Korean told The Express Tribune. "We need to do better as being world number 21 is not good enough. The aim is to win the Asian Championship.

"I am targeting China since they are the weakest team in Asia's top five. If we can defeat them, we have a good chance of qualifying for next year's World Cup. But until we start beating teams on foreign soil, I won't be satisfied."

Meanwhile, team captain Imtiaz Ali rued the lack of opportunities Pakistan got of touring. He said that the Pakistan Baseball Federation (PBF) emphasised on foreign teams visiting the country instead of organising tours.

"It's the federation's policy, they try to invite other countries because it's convenient to hold events in Lahore," said Ali. "We need exposure but even without such tours, we have managed to stay fifth in Asia."

Ali added that although coach Dong had a different view on the situation, most players in the team were motivated.

PBF Secretary Pervaiz Shah Khawar said that the team might go to Korea in June but confirmed that the federation's priority remained in getting a proper baseball stadium in the country.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan 14-1 in their last group match.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2012.