Pak hockey team’s training to start from mid-March

KARACHI: Pakistan’s training camp will be held in Islamabad from the middle of this month as PHF has decided that the preparation for qualifying rounds of Rio Olympics should be started early, ‘The News’ has learnt.
PHF has realised that the team might not get many opportunities to play international matches. Thus, it wants to keep the players fit and in form through training camps.
Pakistan, who failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, are to play the qualifying rounds, scheduled to be held in Belgium from June 20 to July 5.
The team’s coach has informed PHF that his team needs 30 to 35 international matches before going to Belgium. But so far there is no sign the Green-shirts could play these number of matches due to PHF’s financial constraints.
PHF is making efforts to send the team for participation in Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tourney in April, South Korea (April) and Australia (May), but none of these tours can be confirmed till the federal government releases funds.
It has to be mentioned that Pakistan went to participate in the Asian Games 2014 and Champions Trophy 2014 without playing any international match for practice, but still won silver medals in both events.
Chief coach Shahnaz Sheikh told this correspondent that he had a meeting with PHF president Akhtar Rasool and secretary Rana Mujahid a few days back and finalised the plan for the qualifying rounds.
He said the training camp would be started from the second week of this month and continued for three to four weeks keeping in mind other engagements, including the tour of Malaysia.
He said that he had requested PHF to arrange at least 30 international matches but now it seems that 20 to 25 matches would be possible.
He said that national team would reach Belgium before the schedule of qualifying rounds, so that it might play a few matches against some European countries close to Belgium.
The details of these matches are yet to be finalised, he said. “Our players recently played extensive hockey in four national tournaments and after getting some rest they will participate in the training camp enthusiastically,” he said.
He said that in the camp they would focus on the weaknesses identified during the Asian Games and the Champions Trophy such as the ratio of missing of goals and weak marking. He said they would also work to improve direct and indirect penalty corner hitting, penalty shootout and counter-attacks.
Asked about players’ desire to play professional leagues abroad, he said that it was PHF’s job to discuss these matters with the players.