No matches likely before qualifiers

KARACHI: Pakistan hockey team will have to go to Belgium in the first week of June to participate in the qualifying rounds of Rio Olympics 2016 without playing any more international matches.
The Green-shirts have played few international matches for the last couple of years.
They recently participated in the four-nation hockey tournament in Australia and played three matches against South Korea.
Sources in the PHF said the Green-shirts would go to Belgium on June 7 where the competition would start from June 15 and continue till July 5.
The national hockey team will return from Korea on May 26, participate in a short training camp in the country. In these 12 days, it was not possible to arrange matches for the Green-shirts, the sources said.
It was planned by PHF that Green-shirts would go to European countries to play some matches so that Pakistani players could get some experience ahead of the qualifiers.
Chief coach Shahnaz Sheikh wanted 20 to 25 international matches before the qualifiers but they have played only eight matches so far.
The sources said the PHF was not in contact with any European country’s hockey federation to arrange matches for the Green-shirts.
But they said the team might play two or three practice matches with other participating teams of qualifying rounds when they reach Belgium on June 7.
Pakistan have been placed in Pool A of qualifying rounds of Rio Olympics 2016 along with India, Australia, England and Belgium.
Pool B comprises New Zealand, South Korea, Holland, Argentine, Spain and Germany.
These 10 teams will be joined by China, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, France, Austria, Ireland, Canada and Egypt who have got through the pre-qualifying rounds held in Singapore, San Diego (US), and Cape Town (South Africa). PHF official deprived of Korean tour due to cancellation of match .