Pakistan eye tough game ahead of Junior World Cup

Sunday, December 14, 2008

KARACHI: Pakistan’s hockey officials are looking for ways to raise a team strong enough to regain the Junior World Cup crown next summer after suffering a major blow that came in the form of a last-minute cancellation of a five-Test series against Indian colts last month, writes Khalid Hussain.

A top Pakistan junior team official told ‘The News’ that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is exploring several options aimed at providing top class preparations to the national junior team players who will be featuring in the Under-21 World Cup to be played in Malaysia and Singapore from June 7-16 next year.

Qamar Ibrahim, a former Olympian working as head coach of the Pakistan junior team, said that his boys are likely to play a series of games in Egypt, Germany and Malaysia ahead of the Junior World Cup.

“We really felt let down after India refused to come here for a five-match Test series,” said Qamar. “It was an important series for our boys as they really need some tough games before the Junior World Cup,” he added referring to the Indian government’s decision to block its junior team’s visit of Pakistan in November on the pretext of security concerns.

The PHF claimed that it suffered losses of six million rupees because of the series cancellation. More importantly, for Qamar and his charges a very good opportunity to begin their Junior World Cup preparations was wasted.

Qamar said that the main warm-up event for Pakistan ahead of the Junior World Cup will be an eight-nation junior hockey tournament in Malaysia next March. Pakistan will be joined by all the leading junior teams of the world in the event including Australia, Germany, Holland, India and hosts Malaysia.

But he said that the PHF is also trying to confirm more matches in Egypt, Germany and Malaysia during January to May to ensure that the national colts go for the Junior World Cup well-prepared.

“There is this option of playing a full-fledged Test series in Egypt,” said Qamar. “We also working on plans of a tour of Germany in the lead up to the Junior World Cup,” he said.

Qamar revealed that Malaysia is also likely to host a four-nation tournament before the Junior World Cup and there is a chance that Pakistan might confirm their entry in the quadrangular.

The coach said that his boys need maximum number of goiod matches before beginning their title campaign in the quadrennial spectacle next summer.

He said that the PHF will set up a training camp for national juniors after the NBP Gold Cup to be played in Lahore later this month.

“We will most likely begin the training camp in either Lahore or Karachi in the first week of January,” he said.

Qamar said that he and fellow coaches will work hard during the training in a bid to iron out a few minus points of the national team that has been unable to give its best in recent years.