Four-Nation hockey tournament: Pakistan take on Australia on May 2

The Greenshirts will look to take advantage of the cold weather in Hobart

KARACHI: Pakistan will begin their campaign in the Four-Nation Men’s Hockey tournament against hosts and world number one side Australia in Hobart on Saturday.

The Greenshirts, who prepared for the tour during a month-long training camp in scorching heat, will be happy to play in the cold weather of Australia. “The team has trained in hot weather which has boosted their stamina and it will be easy for them to play in the cold Australian conditions,” head coach Shahnaz Sheikh told The Express Tribune from Hobart after the first practice session at the venue.

Sheikh said that the players would be able to increase the pace of the game in the weather conditions of Australia and in turn give a boost to their attacking style of play.  “We [all coaches] have analysed how the team plays and have pointed out some areas on which the coaches will guide them.”

The coach added that they will substitute more often in order to help players save their stamina and increase their standard of performance.

Meanwhile, skipper Muhammad Imran said that besides them, other teams will also benefit from the weather, with Australia having maximum advantage as they have been training on their home turf. “It will take us a bit more time to adjust but the advantages of playing in cold conditions make up for that.”

On Saturday, Australia A will play against South Korea in the opening match of the tournament while Pakistan will play the second match of the day.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2015.

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