Rabo Four-Nation men’s hockey tournament opening matches postponed
The Rabo Four-Nation men’s hockey tournament which was supposed to take place yesterday, June 28, in Amstelveen, Netherlands, opening with the first match between the host team and Pakistan, was postponed due to weather conditions.
Moreover, the second match which was to be played between Germany and England was also delayed and now both the matches will take place on June 30.
Greenshirts were all set to face-off against Netherlands, when the organisers issued a notice regarding a storm warning. Considering the unfavourable weather condition, it was suggested to postpone the matches until Thursday.
It was an unexpected decision because it has never happened in the history of hockey that Pakistan’s match was put on hold, even if there was a serious emergency condition like the Madrid bombings, in the past.
The Greenshirts are completely energised due to their recent title win in the previous Four-Nations tournament that was held in Dublin, Ireland.
The star of the show was undoubtedly a great veteran. Sohail Abbas was the highest goal-scorer of the tournament with 4 to his tally.
This penalty-corner specialist, an International Hockey Federation (FIH) star that holds the highest record of penalty-corner conversions, single-handedly sealed two goals at the finals of the Dublin Four-Nation that was played against Ireland and allowed his team to take up the title on June 26 with a 2-1 victory.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials also admired the team’s performance and are confident about the Europe tour to turn into a huge success for the team, getting themselves well-prepared for the Champions Trophy ahead, followed by the 2012 London Olympics.
Addressing the media, yesterday, on June 28, Pakistan’s team captain, Mohammad Imran, stated that the team is improving with their encounters against the world’s best hockey teams.
According to him, the team is moving towards the right direction, which is the 2012 London Olympics.
Imran praised the PHF's efforts behind the team’s development that led to these fine results by the Greenshirts at these international level competitions, such as Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the recently-concluded Four-Nation Tournament in Ireland.
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