Pakistan hockey team ready to rumble in Delhi
Pakistan is hoping to make up for their disappointing performance in this year's World Cup as they get ready to see action in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Led by captain Zeeshan Ashraf, the 16-member squad is aiming for a better finish after dropping to 12th place in the World Cup, which was held in New Delhi earlier this year.
"Our first target will be to reach the semis, and if we are able to do that I am sure we can upset the best of teams in the race for the title," said full-back Ashraf, who was cleared to play in the tournament along with right-half Kashif Javed (both players
passed fitness tests on Tuesday). Ashraf and Javed sustained injuries during the team's recent training tour in Europe.
The head coach of the Pakistani squad is also confident that his team will perform well in Delhi. Dutchman Michel van den Heuvel, who was hired after the World Cup debacle, has said that winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Delhi is vital to their
preparation for the 2012 London Olympics.
"The assignment I have been given is to prepare a strong team capable of winning the 2012 London Olympics, but my own assessment is that we need to target winning the other events as well."
Team manager Khawaja Muhammad Junaid urged the players to perform well after the squad underwent rigorous training in preparation for the games.
"We had good preparations for the games, as we toured Europe and did fairly well in training camps in Pakistan and Holland. There is dire need to exhibit pro-active hockey in the elite tournament," he said.
"It is (a) mix blend of seniors and juniors, and obviously the selectors and team management have taken everything into consideration before finalising the squad, as (the) world's best teams will be playing in the games," added Junaid, who was appointed
team manager after Manzoor Junior's employer would not allow him to take a trip to the Indian capital.
Pakistan is bracketed in Pool A with Scotland, Malaysia, defending champions Australia and hosts India. The Pakistanis will take on Scotland on October 5 before battling Malaysia the following day. They will face Australia on October 9 and arch-rivals India
on October 10.
The top two teams in the group, along with the other top two squads in Pool B will advance to the semi-finals. The other pool is composed of England, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago.
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