22 September 2004	Wednesday	06 Shaban 1425

ISLAMABAD, Sept 21: The manager of New Zealand Davis Cup tennis team rates Pakistan sightly favourite for the upcoming tie but insists his players are also confident of doing well.

"At home surface Pakistan hold advantage but New Zealand team has also worked hard and would play its heart out against the local favourites," the New Zealand manager, Patrick O'Rourke said on Tuesday.

The Group 1 Davis Cup tie of Asia-Oceania Zone will be played between Pakistan and New Zealand at the clay courts of Islamabad Club from Friday to Saturday.

O'Rourke said Pakistan have such players in their ranks as world No.208 Aisamul Haq Qureshi and world No.350-odd Aqeel Khan while New Zealand's best player Mark Mielsen is world No.580 or so at the moment.

He said Nielsen and Simon Rea both had played lesser number of international ranking tournaments in recent times. Hence their lower world ranking. "But they are very good players in their own right and I don't see any reason for them not to put up a stiff fight," O'Rourke said, expressing his surprise at Pakistan's choice of clay courts instead of grass court. "We have been training for the last three weeks in Australia and we have also practiced on clay there," he said. -APP