Uzbekistan hockey team to reach Pakistan on April 20

KARACHI: Uzbekistan hockey team will visit Pakistan from April 20 to May 4 for a five-match series against Pakistan Development Squad in Lahore, a spokesman for Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) informed ‘The News’ on Saturday.

“We are trying to get foreign teams to visit Pakistan because due to scarcity of funds we cannot go abroad,” secretary PHF Shahbaz Ahmed Senior said in a video message.

He said that to form a strong Development Squad, a hockey league was being organised in Gojra in which five teams would participate. “The league will help us identify talent for our Development Squad within a week,” he said.

The PHF secretary said that Poland team would also visit Pakistan near the end of this year.

“We are also trying to hold a top quality floodlight tournament after the holy month of Ramadan," he added. Youth from across the country will be part of that tournament, he said. "This will help us select players for Pakistan Hockey League,” he said.

He said currently Pakistan hockey team was at number 12 in International Hockey Federation (FIH) ranking and it could not become a champion at once. “I will request them (former Olympians) if they have any plan or programme for Pakistan hockey give it to the IPC ministry, Pakistan Sports Board or PHF. We will try to implement that,” he added.

Meanwhile, PHF is still waiting for the FIH executive committee’s response to Pakistan’s explanation about why the country did not participate in the FIH Pro League. The PHF sent the answers to FIH’s questions last month.