Pakistan

By Muhammad Ali

LAHORE:Hosts Pakistan will face an uphill task when they take on title holders the Netherlands in a crucial tie of the 26th Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament at the National Hockey Stadium here on Tuesday (today). In other matches, Spain take on New Zealand and Germany face India.

Greenshirts, looking forward to their first Champions Trophy title in 10 years and regain hockey supremacy, won both their league games against Germany 3-1 and New Zealand 3-1 and are at top of the table along with Holland and Spain. Pakistan’s victory record against the Netherlands is not that impressive, a fact known to all and sundry. And hockey pundits are putting their bets on the Dutch squad.

But Pakistan skipper Waseem Ahmad is hoping his side would break the winning streak of the defending champions in a battle of nerves. “It is a bitter reality that in the previous encounters in Champions Trophy we have not been able to beat Holland. But we are a strong side and have the potential to defeat our toughest rivals,” Waseem said.

He added Pakistan’s prospects in the tournament largely depended on the outcome of their match against Holland. “If I am not wrong, it’s going to be a match of high importance – one can call it a game of the nerves,” he maintained. Waseem said Pakistan and Holland had earned six points each after playing two league games and in the given circumstances their contest was going to be a tough encounter and a challenging task for the home team.

“Do not underestimate my team in the light of past track record, gone is gone. We are fully determined to go for a kill,” Waseem said with confidence.

The match will also be a direct contest between two top penalty corner experts Sohail Abbas and Taekema Taeke. The Pakistan skipper agreed penalty corner ace Sohail would be the key weapon but hoped the forwards would play with better cohesion to contribute a few goals. In 1994 Pakistan won World Cup in Sydney and Champions Trophy in Lahore. They finished fourth in 2004 Athens Olympics. There is no doubt that a victory against formidable 2000 Olympic champions, seeking their third successive title, will strengthen Pakistan’s claim for the place in Sunday’s final.

Pakistan manager Samillullah Khan said he wanted his boys to be more aggressive in their all-important match against Holland. “They have the capability and firepower to surprise Dutch but they must put in their best to emerge victorious,” he said.

On the other hand, Dutch captain Jeroen Delmee said the match against Pakistan would be the toughest battle of the tournament and expressed the determination to beat the home side to retain the title. “It is a tough assignment to beat Pakistan in their own backyard but we are fully prepared,” he said. Dutch team’s Australian coach Terry Walsh endorsed the ideas of his captain and rated Pakistan as strong rivals. Walsh promised a sterling show by his side against Pakistan. He said his team would be creating ‘real trouble’ for Greenshirts. “Germany have a young side and even then they gave Pakistan a tough time. It was just luck that Pakistan won against Germany 3-1 the other day or things could have been different considering the performance of the home team. All I can say is that it will be a really tough match tomorrow but we will be showing great resilience.”

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