KARACHI: Pakistan hockey team’s schedule was confirmed on Tuesday ahead of the FIH Nations’s Cup.
Pakistan team will tour the Netherlands before the crucial FIH Nation’s Cup in Gniezno, Poland.
The Green Shirts will face the Dutch national side on May 22, followed by two to three fixtures against the local clubs in the Netherlands.
Pakistan team recently impressed during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia but lost in the final to Japan on penalty shootout.
Pakistan hockey was at an all-time low when they failed to qualify for the Olympics, where they won three gold medals, for the third consecutive time earlier this year. Additionally, the Green Shirts also failed to qualify for the World Cup, where they bagged gold four times in the past, last year.
However, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup proved to be a breath of fresh air for hockey fans after Pakistan qualified for the final of the event for the first time in 13 years.
Pakistan’s performance in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup should be a morale booster for the team especially because the team has to feature in the FIH Nations Cup from May 31 to June 9 as well.
The Nations Cup is important because the winning team will have the opportunity to play in the FIH Hockey Pro League for the 2024-25 season.
Austria, Canada, France, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa will join hosts Poland in competing at the men’s Nation’s Cup. The teams have been split into two Pools of 5 and 4 teams. Pakistan are in Pool B with Canada, France and Malaysia.
Pakistan team will leave for Poland directly from the Netherlands.
Atique ur Rehman is a senior reporter for Geo News.
