Pakistan to play practice match against Japan

Asia Cup 2017

KARACHI: The national hockey team will play a practice match against Japan on October 9 before launching their Asia Cup 2017 campaign in Dhaka, Bangladesh, head coach Farhat Khan told ‘The News’ on Friday.

The Greenshirts — led by Irfan Sr. — will play their first pool match against the hosts on October 11. They will face Japan on October 13 before taking on arch-rivals India on October 15.

Farhat said that Pakistan will play attacking hockey to bring their opponents under pressure.“This team is a blend of senior and junior players. We will play an attacking game with five forwards,” he said. He said that Umar Bhutta will play as a centre forward.

“He (Umar) is a good reciever, his timing is also good. Rizwan Sr., Arsalan Qadir, Ali Shan and Atiq are also focused and willing to play attacking hockey,” Farhat said.The coach added that the team needs to win to have their confidence restored. “The practice match against Japan will help the players get used to Dhaka’s environment,” he said.The team will depart for Dhaka on October 8.