Sheikh approves of renovated Naseer Bunda Stadium

National hockey team expected to start training on March 16

KARACHI: The Pakistan hockey team’s coach, Shahnaz Sheikh, has expressed his satisfaction with the renovation of the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium located at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Complex in Islamabad.

The coach said he had previously visited the ground on March 5 and conveyed his recommendations for its renovation and maintenance to PSB Complex Deputy Director General Agha Amjedullah.

“I’m glad he has taken immediate action, the astro-turf is in a much better condition now,” Sheikh told The Express Tribune.

The team is expected to begin its training camp for the preparation of the 2016 Rio Olympic qualification round from March 16, provided the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) receives the required funds.

“I have asked the PHF to start the camp soon, and they have promised to establish it in the third week of March,” said Sheikh.

He added that the team has yet to cover the barren gap of 11 months before last year’s Asian Games when they did not play any international matches. “Our preparations for the Olympic qualifiers in June need to be up to the mark, which is only possible if we play 30 to 35 matches with other teams,” he said.

The Olympian further explained that training for today’s hockey, which is different from the past version due to the introduction of new rules and timings, is difficult and requires more time and dedication from the management and players. “We have to learn new tricks and techniques as the other countries would have already studied our game play at the Champions Trophy through video analysis,” he said.

Sheikh added that he has been working on the weaker areas of the team that had led to their loss in the Champions Trophy final, while he has also been developing new attacking and defending strategies, with penalty strokes being the top priority.

In another development, the team and management have been given the date of March 20 for their oft-delayed meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the state of the national game.

 

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