ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has finalised series with Australia and New Zealand next year before playing the Hockey World League, which is a qualifying round for the World Cup. A PHF spokesman said Thursday they had signed series of three matches each with Australia and New Zealand, which would be played in February and March. “Both series are essential in raising our team for the 2018 World Cup. They will provide us the right platform to check the potential of the Pakistan team before fielding it in the World League in June 2017,” he added. He said Pakistan under-18 would also tour with the senior team to Australia where they would play matches against their Under-18 counterparts. “The PHF has little opportunities to play hockey at international level. Foreign teams’ refusal to visit Pakistan is also depriving us of international competitions. We have now decided to increase the number of international matches for all strings.” He said that after touring Australia and New Zealand, the senior team would attend a training camp in Pakistan, tour Malaysia for the Azlan Shah Cup in April and go to London in June for the World League. Unfortunately, Pakistan could not qualify for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics as the country was witnessing huge decline in its performance. When asked what strategy the PHF had adopted to counter India, which had not issued visas to Pakistan players on time due to which Pakistan had to miss the ongoing Junior World Cup being held in Lucknow, India, he said the PHF had a serious concern over it as more world hockey competitions would be held in India. “The PHF will utilise all forums, including the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), to bring this last incident into the notice of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),” he said. “Under the IOC Charter, no political or any other reason can stop a country from participating in any international competition. As the FIH is affiliated with the IOC, the international body will hopefully solve the matter amicably,” he said. India is to hold the next World Cup in 2018 and the Asia Cup.