KARACHI, 15 January 2008 — Pakistani hockey colts are trying to learn from videos showing the world’s best hockey players in action in a bid to get ready for a tough eight-nation tournament scheduled to get under way in Kuala Lumpur from Jan. 17.
Jahangir Butt, the national junior team manager, told Arab News that his charges are being shown recordings of a series of high-profile matches from last December’s Champions Trophy involving the world’s top teams. “In Kuala Lumpur our boys will be competing against top teams like Australia, Germany and Holland,” said Butt, a former Olympian. “We are well aware of the fact that the junior outfits of these countries mostly try to play like their senior compatriots which is why we are showing the videos of Champions Trophy matches to our players,” he added.
Butt said that his players are trying to absorb the various drills used by Olympic champions Australia, world champions Germany, Holland and Asian Games champions Korea during the video sessions.
“Those drills are then being carried out during our training sessions so that the boys get used to the sort of power hockey they are going to experience in the Malaysian tournament,” he said.
Pakistan on Thursday announced the 18-man squad for the Malaysian tournament whose first game is at Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Jail Stadium on Jan. 17. Butt described the tournament as a ‘junior Champions Trophy’ saying that it would be the real test for his colts who are preparing for the October Junior Asia Cup held in New Delhi. The tournament will serve as the qualifying event for the 2009 Junior World Cup to be played in Singapore and Malaysia.
“We will be playing against six of the world’s top teams during the tournament,” Butt pointed out. “It would be like a Champions Trophy (for juniors) and a perfect platform to test our players.”
Former world junior champions Pakistan will be locking horns with Australia, Germany, Holland, Korea, India, Malaysia and Singapore in the eight-nation tournament.
The Pakistani team officials are still awaiting the draws of the tournament.
“We will only be able to line up practice games once we receive the event’s draws from Malaysia,” Butt said.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has written to the tournament organizers regarding the event’s draws and are expecting to receive some details from the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) today (Saturday).
“We want to play a couple of practice games in Kuala Lumpur before the start of the tournament,” said the manager.
Pakistan will carry out their practice sessions at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium till their departure for Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 12.
