Pakistan face Wales today

KARACHI: Pakistan will play their first match in Commonwealth Games against Wales on Thursday (today) in Gold Coast in Australia.

Rizwan Senior leads the side.This will be the first international match of the Green-shits since Roelant Oltmans of Holland took over as the head coach. He joined the team three weeks ago.

In the recent international tournaments, Pakistan’s performance has been “pathetic”. That compelled the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to appoint Roelant to prepare the team for big international events.

Roelant has said he possesses no magic wand which could change the performance of the team overnight. But he has vowed that the team would put up an improved performance and rise in ranking. He said the players have the potential, but they have not been playing according to the requirements of modern-day hockey.

He has set his sights on Asian Games, to be held in August and September, saying Pakistan would play better against strong teams in that event. He said the Commonwealth Games and then the Champions Trophy in June in Holland would help them experiment with different combinations.

Oltmans, who has been appointed head coach till September 2020, said Commonwealth Games would be a tough learning experience for the young Pakistan team. Oltmans said Pakistani players were brilliant individually but lacked impact as a team. “I’m working to improve their fitness level, skills, mental sharpness and other grey areas,” he said.Oltmans has been in the coaching profession since 1994, having guided Holland to several titles, including the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta and the women’s World Cup in 2007.