Green-shirts have learnt a lot: Junaid

KARACHI: Pakistan senior hockey team’s chief coach Khwaja Junaid has said the Green-shirts achieved great experience during the tours of New Zealand and Australia, where they played nine international matches.

Talking to ‘The News’ on Wednesday, he said: “We played well in New Zealand and won the series but in Australia our performance was not up to the mark in the first two matches. But we improved in last two matches.”

He said Australia was a much better team than Pakistan. “The Aussies are number one and also world champions, while we are fourteenth ranked and had been out of international hockey for long.

“But our players after going down in the first match against the Aussies improved in all three matches and in the last one we scored three goals, took the lead twice, and also leveled the score once,” Junaid said.

He added that the defeats against Australia were a lesson for the players. “There are some weaknesses which have to be rectified before the World Cup qualifiers in London in June,” he said.

He said that there was need to improve the defence both in individual and group play.

“Besides, our penalty corner strikes also have to be strengthened,” he said.

“We will also work on the fitness of our players to compete at the international level against tough opponents,” the chief coach said.

Junaid said that captain Haseem Khan’s performance in the forward line was great. “Abu Bakar emerged as our best penalty corner specialist,” he said.

He added that goalkeeper Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas also played well in the tour.

He said the team’s next training camp is likely to be held from April 15.

The place is yet to be decided.