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| May 21, 2003 | Wednesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 18,1424 |
Alam hopes team to do well in Australia
KARACHI, May 20: Pakistan hockey captain Ahmed Alam said that his young team would be looking to win all its matches during the forthcoming tour of Australia.
The experienced goal-keeper said that the national team was confident of giving its best during the tour in spite of the fact that it will be without three of its key players.
Ahmed who was appointed captain of the Pakistan team in the place of veteran forward Mohammad Nadeem last week will be leading an 18-member squad in two tri-nation tournaments to be held in Perth and Sydney.
Pakistani team is without three of its best players including short corner specialist Sohail Abbas, former skipper Nadeem ND and former vice captain Waseem Ahmed.
Ahmed said that the services of three players, who were not selected in the team because of the fact they skipped the under-progress national training camp to play professional league in Germany, will certainly be missed in Australia.
But he added that the absence of some of the players does not necessarily mean that his team will perform badly in Malaysia.
Ahmed said that the target of his team was to win all the matches in the tour and for that purpose all the boys were ready to give their best in the two events.
He said that during the national training camp in Lahore, the players have been performing very well and each and every one of them appears fit and confident for the forthcoming assignment.
Ahmed agreed that both India and Australia were tough opponents but added that he has a strong team that can take on any opposition on any given day.
Before leaving for Australia, the green shirts will be given a reception by President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad on May 22. The reception will be held to honour the national team players who won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh (Malaysia) last month.
The Australian tour will serve as the launch pad for Pakistan’s preparations for the 2003 Champions Trophy to be held in Amstelveen (Holland) in August.
World champions Germany, Holland, Australia, India and Argentina will also feature in the elite six-nation tournament.—PPI
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