Daily Times

LAHORE: World XI captain Roderick Weusthof of the Netherlands says he anticipates interesting and thrilling hockey match against Pakistan at National Hockey Stadium here on Sunday (today). “Pakistan junior team comprises talented players but they lack in experience and technique and with passage of time it will blend into a good combination of players to get fine results,” he told media at a news conference, along with few other foreign players and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary general Shahbaz Ahmad, at the National Hockey Stadium here on Saturday. Star-studded World XI routed Pakistan 5-1 in the opening match of the two match series at Karachi. The World XI captain said they were delighted to play against Pakistan junior team who would be learning a lot while playing against them. “The are young players and have the necessary potential to learn the finer points of the game while playing world’s best players. And I think it is an ideal opportunity for them to lift the level of their game,” said the Dutch hockey player, one of the most fearsome penalty corner experts of his time with 79 goals to his credit.

Roderick said he was pleased to see that with the tour of the World XI international hockey returned to Pakistan. “We are here to join hands with the Pakistan Hockey Federation to help them to revive international hockey and all the players are delighted to be a part of good cause,” he said.

The World XI captain praised the hospitality extended to them during their stay in Pakistan and said they did not see any security issue at Karachi and Lahore and they were being looked after in a nice way.

Lahore to host elite hockey event after twenty four years: Meanwhile, Lahore will host an elite international hockey activity after a long gap of twenty four years when the star studded World Hockey XI will take on Pakistan junior team in the second tie of a two-match series at National Hockey Stadium here Sundat. It was way back in 1994 When Pakistan hosted its last grand hockey event ,though little known teams like China and Oman visited Pakistan afterwards. China played a four test series in 2011 and Oman Under-18 team played a test series in 2016. Now after a long time, World XI, a galaxy of stars from top hockey nations, are on a visit of Pakistan to end the drought of international hockey in Pakistan which could not hold any high profile hockey event owing to security concerns. The World XI tour has been arranged by Pakistan Hockey Federation to revive the game in which Pakistan is struggling at international level, with no title in grasp, not even at Asia level.

Published in Daily Times, January 21^st 2018.