KARACHI: After hosting the World XI for a three-match Twenty20 series at Lahore and the Thailand tennis squad for the Davis Cup rubber in Islamabad recently, hockey is set to follow suit when the international Nishan-i-Haider 9ners Hockey Tournament begins at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium here on Wednesday (today). Eleven foreign goalkeepers seven from Australia and four from Argentina arrive here in two batches on Tuesday to feature in the first ever 9ners international competition in the country. The goalkeepers who will make their presence felt include Fleming Mattew, Shulson Josling, Holman Nicholas Janes, David Arthur Reid, Zachary Edward Walker, Bevkeley John Bruton, Kirk Joshua Blair (Australia), Emiliano Bosso, Gonzato Martin, Joaquen Moverio, Juan Ignacio Diaz (Argentina). Eleven teams will vie for honours in the eight-day event which concludes on October 11. The teams have been named after the martyrs of 1965 Indo-Pak war who were bestowed with prestigious gallantry award of Nishan-i-Haider. Each team will comprise 14 players including one foreign goalkeeper apiece. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has already asked 131 players to report at the venue. The list does not include the names of the Dhaka-bound Asia Cup players. The national team will fly to Dhaka on October 8. “They are emerging players and form the nucleus of Pakistan hockey,” tournament director and former Olympian Qamar Ibrahim said. Asked about the format, he said a match envisaged two halves of 20-minutes each with a five-minute break. He added that five penalty shootouts apiece will be held before the start of the match. The Organising Secretary, former Olympian Kamran Ashraf, disclosed that the PHF had designed its own rules as the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has no approved rules for 9ners. Pools: A: Captain Mohammad Sarwar 9ners, Major Tufail 9ners, Major Aziz Bhatti 9ners. B: Major Shabbir Sharif 9ners, Rashid Minhas 9ners, M Hussain 9ners. C: Major Mohammad Akram 9ners, LN Mohammad Mahfooz 9ners, Captain Sher Khan 9ners. D: Havaldar Lalak Jan 9ners, Naik Saif Ali Janjua 9ners. Published in Daily Times, October 4th 2017.