Pakistan will not Take Part in Four-Nation Hockey Tournament in Moscow

Pakistan hockey team has followed the footstep of arch-rival India by pulling themselves out of Moscow’s four-nation hockey tournament which is due to take place in Moscow, Russia next month. Pakistan’s withdrawal from the tournament came after India had pulled out of the tournament recently. Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan said that Pakistan would not take part in the competition because there would not be any competitive team without India. The tournament is supposed to feature South Korea and host Russia too.

Pakistan would have taken part in the Moscow tournament only because of the match against India which they would consider as a preparation for world cup qualifying competition which begins in October. However, Pakistan will face England in a three-match test series in June and Pakistan Hockey Federation is trying to organize matches against top ranked teams like Germany, Netherlands and Spain before starting their world cup hockey qualifying campaign. Pakistan failed to qualify for next year’s hockey world cup as they failed to win the Asia Cup 2010 title after being lost to South Korea 1-0 in the tournament final.

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Zakir Hussain Syed on Pakistan’s Performance in Asia Cup Hockey 2009

Pakistan failed to ensure their place in the world cup hockey 2010 as they failed to win the Asia Cup Hockey 2009 title. Pakistan lost to South Korea 1-0 in the tournament final and thus failed to clinch the world cup spot. That is why, Zakir Hussain Syed, director general of former Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), thinks that Pakistan hockey team failed to achieve the objective they had before heading to Malaysia.

Well, I do not think that Pakistan had fared badly in the tournament. They defeated arch rivals India and then host Malaysia in the tournament semi final before losing to South Korea only by a goal. Pakistan had improved a lot on their poor performance in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament that took place in Malaysia in March. Moreover, Pakistan has got some young talents from the tournament. However, it is true that they now have to go through a tough qualifying phase to reach the world cup hockey 2010. Now, let us see if Pakistan can successfully clinch their spot in the tournament.

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Pakistan Facing China in Asia Cup 2009 Hockey Opener

Asia Cup 2009 campaign of Pakistan starts off today (Saturday) with Pakistan facing China in the tournament opener in Malaysia. After poor performance in last month’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Malaysia, Pakistan is now gearing up to bounce back strongly in the Asia Cup 2009 tournament.

Pakistani cricket fans can expect something impressive from their men’s hockey team in Asia Cup hockey tournament as a number of senior players, who were missing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, have joined Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad. Players like Salman Akbar, Sohail Abbas, Waseem Ahmed and Rehan Butt participated in the Dutch league where they gained much more experience. Now, it is yet to see if these players can help Pakistan win the Asia Cup 2009 tournament.

Pakistan has been drawn in the Pool B, alongside defending champion India, China and Bangladesh. China is a strong side and it would not be easy for Pakistan to stave off the challenge of Chinese team.

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