PHF willing to host India in Muscat

LAHORE: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has expressed its willingness to play a series against India in Muscat. PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior has said Pakistan is ready to host India in Muscat.

“We are open to the idea of playing in Muscat, which is like a second home for us,” said Shahbaz. “There is a huge expatriate population of Pakistanis and Indians and the facilities are good. Any India-Pakistan match is like a blockbuster and produces sensational games.

“Frankly, we have not yet received any written request or proposal from the Oman Hockey Association (OHA) or the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) on the hosting of India-Pakistan Tests in Oman. We are ready to play but a formal written request has to be made before we can think about it,” said Shahbaz.

Though India and Pakistan have not played in a bilateral series since 2006, the arch-rivals have faced each other at the World Cup, Champions Trophy, Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Asian Games, Asia Cup, South Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and recently at the FIH Hockey World League.

Shahbaz said that the lack of bilateral ties between India and Pakistan has harmed the growth of the game. “India and Pakistan matches are loved by fans across the world as the atmosphere is electric. The lack of bilateral series has certainly affected the game in both countries,” said Shahbaz.

He said his aim is to revive Pakistan hockey and has drawn plans to achieve it. “We have qualified for next year’s World Cup in India and recently had a meeting in Dubai with the FIH chief on facilitating our team’s visit to India,” he added.