KARACHI:
Flying high after ending their eight-year Champions Trophy medal-draught in Melbourne last month, the Pakistan hockey team is now able to sign off the year with a gold in the forthcoming Asian Champions Trophy that begins on December 20 in Doha.
The Greenshirts were due to leave early this morning for the tournament where they will take on China, Japan, Malaysia and Oman besides traditional rivals India. Pakistan defeated India in Melbourne to grab bronze but team captain Mohammad Imran termed the arch-rivals the biggest hurdle between his team and the gold medal.
“We defeated India in Melbourne so revenge will be the sole thing on their mind,” Imran told The Express Tribune on the eve of the team’s departure. “We are expecting a strong comeback from them in Doha. The matches between Pakistan and India are pressure games but we are ready and looking forward to it.”
Pakistan are scheduled to meet India on December 21 but Imran added that every opposition will be tough in the tournament.
“Malaysia will be another tough opposition. China and Japan also have the ability to defeat any side in the world. So it’s not going to be an easy tournament and we will have to play every match as the final.”
‘Trophy is our target’
However, the Olympian said the team was not targeting anything less than the title itself.
“We are targeting the Asian Champions Trophy title to end this year on a high note. The players are in rhythm after two tournaments in Australia. We have worked hard on overcoming our weaknesses in the couple of practice sessions and I am hopeful we will win the tournament.”
Players completely fit: Coach
Meanwhile, manager-cum-head coach Akhtar Rasool said all his players were completely fit and ready for the tournament.
“We did not organise an extensive training camp to avoid burnout,” said the head coach. “The players are ready after getting break that followed the hectic tour of Australia and we’re all looking forward to another good tournament.”
M Imran
“We are targeting the Asian Champions Trophy title to end this year on a high note. We have worked hard on overcoming our weaknesses in the couple of practice sessions and I am hopeful we will win the tournament.”
A Rasool
“We did not organise an extensive training camp to avoid burnout. The players are ready after getting break that followed the hectic tour of Australia and we’re all looking forward to another good tournament.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2012.
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