Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan national squad are all set to leave for India via Wagah Border on Saturday (today) to feature in the 14th edition of the World Cup, a 16-nation event, to be staged in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16. With the players` dues all cleared, Pakistan hockey head coach Tauqir Dar and captain Mohammad Rizwan Senior on Friday sounded confident about the national team’s chances in the World Cup in India. “Don’t consider our poor world ranking of 13th; rather Pakistan will be a surprise package for every team at the World Cup,” head coach and former Olympian Tauqir said at the National Hockey Stadium. “Those who are saying these Pakistan players do not know hockey, are wrong. In Holland around 500,000 players compete in professional hockey, and they include many current players of Pakistan’s national team who are engaged in professional hockey. No European country can pay you for playing hockey if you are raw at the game,” said Tauqir, who joined as head coach on Oct 23, the day when the training camp for the World Cup began.

And Tauqir sounded upbeat about Pakistan`s chances of winning the World Cup. “In modern-day sport, any team can win the title provided it does not miss chances. It also depends on the players’ performance on a given day –how they utilise the chances. In short, this Pakistan team, if they play to their full potential, are capable of winning the World Cup,” he maintained. He added that one positive factor in the present national squad was that the officials and the players were on the same page. When reminded that Pakistan held an impressive record at Bhubaneswar where they beat traditional rivals India in the 2014 FIH Champions Trophy semi-final and went down fighting against Germany in the final, Tauqir disclosed he had received a good feedback from the current players, who participated in that Champions Trophy.

Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Rizwan Senior said the forthcoming World Cup might be his last, adding he wanted to finish his international career with great memories. “Our preparations are fine for the World Cup which may be my last. And therefore, I wish to have a memorable end to this event. We have qualified for the World Cup after eight years; so we want to make our best efforts to win it,” Rizwan said. About the team’s chances, team manager Hasan Sardar underlined Pakistan in the recent past had won matches against major teams while losing by very narrow margins. `Therefore, like every other outfit, our team are also going to India with equal chances of win, he said, adding “victory against Germany in the event opener will give Pakistan a perfect start.” The manager thanked Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for timely helping the Pakistan Hockey Federation by issuing a grant of Rs100 million.

Published in Daily Times, November 24^th 2018.