KUALA LUMPUR –Pakistan’s national hockey team will face the Netherlands to prepare for their opening match against Malaysia in the Nations Cup next week.
The tournament – scheduled to kick off in Gniezno, Poland and run from May 31 to June 9 – will feature nine teams participating in two pools: Austria, South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, France, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Poland.
Known as the Flying Green Horses, Pakistan are grouped with Malaysia, Canada, and France in Pool B of the tournament.
The champions of the Nations Cup will qualify for the FIH Pro League.
Speaking to Scoop from Islamabad, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Tariq Masoori Bugti acknowledged that the Speedy Tigers are a team they should take seriously in the Nations Cup after their narrow 5-4 win against the world’s number 13 side in the recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Under the guidance of Roelant Oltmans, Pakistan defeated Malaysia in their opening pool match and finished as runners-up in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup after their final-day defeat to Japan.
“Malaysia is indeed a tough side, and they look really different under the guidance of head coach Sarjit Singh. Their attacks are very threatening, and we need to prepare ourselves to overcome their threats in the tournament.
“But not only Malaysia, all the other teams in our pool in the Nations Cup are also equally strong.
“That’s why we must take on the Netherlands in preparation for our campaign.
“Apart from the Netherlands, we will also be facing some of the best hockey teams in the Hoofdklasse Hockey League (Dutch League) because our players and coach Roelant have been telling us that we need to play games to push ourselves to the maximum after the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
“We will be leaving for Amsterdam tomorrow and we will stay there until May 27 before heading to Poland.
“Once we arrive in Poland, we are also in discussions to play against a few of the top 10 teams in the world before the Nations Cup begins,” said Tariq when contacted.
At the same time, Tariq also hopes for Pakistan to become the champions of the Nations Cup and qualify for next year’s FIH Pro League, aiming to mould the team to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Previously, Pakistan was suspended from the 2019 FIH Pro League after missing out on their first three games citing “inevitable circumstances”.
“We really want to play in the Pro League, and I strongly believe we have the capability of doing it by winning the Nations Cup.
“The team look solid and have a lot of potential. We really need to build the team to play in the Olympics in four years.
“When we returned to Islamabad from the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the expectations for our national team increased a lot among hockey fans in our country, and we have to give our everything to deliver.
“I’m a president who can foresee the future of our team – and with me in this position, I want to make sure that I provide the best for the team to help them succeed.
“Coach Roelant is a great tactician, and our boys are ready to take a bullet for him. So I can guarantee that we will win the Nations Cup and qualify directly for the Pro League.
“Pakistan are capable of doing anything, and we will go out to win the Nations Cup,” Tariq added.
The South Asian team have made 16 appearances at the Olympics since their first participation in the 1948 edition in London.
Aside from missing this year’s Paris Olympics, Pakistan, with eight Olympic medals in their collection(three golds, three silvers, and two bronzes), also failed to qualify for Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020. – May 23, 2024