Pakistan to face tough challenges in the FIH Champions Trophy
Pakistan men’s hockey team will face tough challenges in the 33rd version of the Champions Trophy, set to commence on Saturday, December 03, in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Owen G Glenn FIH Champions Trophy is featuring teams from Pakistan, Australia, Great Britain, Spain, South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany and the host, New Zealand.
Pakistan will face world’s best teams in the tournament. Moreover, it will be a good opportunity for it to evaluate its worth ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.
Former Olympian and trainer of the national team, Shahnaz Sheikh, said that the Green-shirts can make a place in the semi-final round. He noted that Pakistan will require only six points to book a spot in the semi-final stage.
He observed, “You need six points to get into the semi-finals and Pakistan can achieve that provided they keep consistency in their performance which has been missing in their recent performance and preserve energy during the 70-minute play”.
The former legendary player of his era further stated that the Green-shirts are not good in opening and finishing the games.
He explained, “I have noticed they fare badly in the first 10 minutes and in the last 10 minutes and concede goals in these two periods”.
Pakistan will face Great Britain, Spain and Australia in the preliminary stage, which will not be an easy task.
Australia is the most favourite line-up for the title, as it earned all the major titles in the last two years, including the World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Champions Trophy and the Azlan Shah Cup.
However, the Kookaburras will also face a tough time, as they are missing the services of many experienced players, like Simons Orchard, Grant Schubert, Russell Ford, Graeme Begbie, Rob Hammond, Glenn Turner and Mark Knowles.
Additionally, Nathan Burgers, the regular Kookaburras’ custodian will not be part of the squad in the tournament. These factors can impede the winning streak of the defending world champion.
Although, the Green-shirts comprise many experienced players, namely Sohail Abbas, Shakeel Abbasi, Imran Shah and the goalie, Salman Akbar, they are the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, holding the ninth position according to the world rankings.
Pakistan will start its campaign against Great Britain. The Green-shirts will have to uphold their performance level that they showed in the Tri-Nation Tournament, held in Perth, Australia.
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