2016 Rio Olympics qualifiers: US keen to play bilateral series with Greenshirts

The two sides aiming to gain match practice ahead of qualification rounds

KARACHI: The US field hockey team has shown interest in playing a bilateral series with Pakistan mid-June ahead of the Hockey World League Semi-finals (for the Greenshirts) and Pan American Games 2015 (for the US), which serve as qualification rounds for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The first event will be held from June 20 to July 5 in Belgium, while the second will take place from July 14 to July 25 in Toronto.

Head coach Shahnaz Sheikh told The Express Tribune that the request had come from US head coach Chris Clements via e-mail, stating their interest in playing some practice matches with the Greenshirts ahead of the qualifiers.

Besides the upcoming tours of Australia and Korea, the Pakistan Hockley Federation is also making efforts to arrange international matches with European countries to prepare for the qualifiers, and the series with the US will add to their goal of being well-prepared for the world event.

Sheikh has given the American coach the green signal and will try his best to arrange at least three matches between the two nations.  “Other countries are showing interest after our performance in the Champions Trophy and playing series with any other nation will help us a whole lot more,” he said.

The US team is currently ranked 26th in the world while Pakistan are now at 10 courtesy of their two silver medals at the Asian Games and Champions Trophy.

The head coach added that they cannot take the US lightly as it will be first ever series between the two sides.

Meanwhile, the Greenshirts are currently undergoing a training camp in Islamabad, which will end mid-April before trials take place to select teams for the first two scheduled series with Australia and Korea.

 

 

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