Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan national men’s hockey team drew their first match 1-1 against Wales in the opening encounter of the field hockey event at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia on Thursday. The 13th-ranked Pakistan team, with experienced players in their ranks, were only able to score one goal against the 24th-ranked Wales. Both teams started the match aggressively and played two goalless quarters, but unexpectedly Wales drew first blood and Pakistan were seen looking to comeback in the match in the remaining time. “This was our first game here and we are getting used to the conditions here,” Pakistan skipper Muhammad Rizwan Senior was quoted as saying. “Our coach had told us that we have to concentrate on the game and get used to the conditions for the next big match against India.” Rizwan Sr then blamed poor showing by the team for the draw but hoped team would gee up for the next encounter against India on April 7. “We made mistakes and missed chances which caused this draw. We could have won the match since Wales is an inexperienced team and we have experienced players. However, we are hoping to recover and prepare better for the match against India,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, April 6^th 2018.