Following a wait of 11 years, Pakistan once again qualified for the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup against dark horses Japan, who have thrown the meaning of world rankings out of the window.
The expectations among Pakistan’s hockey fans back home is high. Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is taking a personal interest in the progress of the team in this city of Ipoh.
The Green Shirts received a video call from the honorable prime minister on Friday night after their 1-1 draw match against New Zealand.
Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Tariq Masoori Bugti said today the prime minister congratulated the players for an outstanding performance in the tournament and wants the team to win the cup once again and bring back the glory of Pakistan hockey.
“The players know what is required of them against Japan and win the Cup. It means a lot to our fans back home and is undoubtedly a high moment for us. It also symbolizes the team’s impact on the international stage.
“The Prime Minister and the government are concerned about the downfall of the national hockey team’s performance in the last 15 years and want a full report on what happened. We have won the World Cup four times and also the Olympics but things have not been the same,” he added.
“The Prime Minister said he would be delighted to see the SAS Cup won by Pakistan and has extended an invitation to PHF and the players to discuss with him the shortcomings and problems faced by both parties. We don’t even have proper facilities and winning the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will definitely change a lot of things,” said Tariq with support from the government.
“After the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, our focus will be on the Nations Cup in Poland. The team will go on a playing tour in the Netherlands before heading to Poland. The Six Nations will be equally tough and we are in the process of building this team,” said Tariq.
For the record, Pakistan is ranked 15 while Japan is 16 in the recent FIH World Rankings.
Pakistan emerged champions in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 1999, 2000, and 2003, and also qualified for the 2011 final but lost 3-2 to Australia.
“I have always believed this team will do well and we have been playing well in our last five pool matches. We respect Japan as they have shown high quality performances in all matches. They are strong in defence and upfront,” said the PHF president.
Team captain Ammad Shakeel Butt, who has 149 caps, said the team is motivated to return home with the Cup. We dominated against Japan in the pool match but were not getting the goals and we aim to change things around in the final,” said Ammad Shakeel.
“Since Roelant (Oltmans) took over as coach and with the new management in PHF, this team is motivated and you can see it in our performance in this tournament. Off course, as captain, I would like to hold the Cup,” he said.
