ISLAMABAD, July 31: Pakistan hockey captain Zeeshan Ashraf is hopeful about his team making it to the podium in next month’s Beijing Olympic Games despite it being placed in a tough pool alongside the Netherlands, Australia, Great Britain, South Africa and Canada.

Pakistan last won a bronze medal in hockey at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

Zeeshan, also the flag carrier of the Pakistani contingent at the Games, told Dawn on Thursday: “We have some tough opponents in our pool such as Australia and the Netherlands and should also not under-estimate Great Britain. It will indeed be quite challenging for us to reach the top.”

When asked about the presence of any penalty corner specialist in the side who could be groomed into another Sohail Abbas, Zeeshan said: “We don’t have a player of Sohail’s calibre in our ranks, but in Mohammad Imran, we have a striker who has the ability to turn the game in

favour of Pakistan.”

The 16-member hockey team comprises a major part of the Pakistani Olympic contingent. Speaking about the strengths of the current hockey squad, Zeeshan said: “We are participating in the Olympics with a strong side and it is a good combination of senior and junior players.”

Among the junior players accompanying the squad, Shafqat Rasool and Zubair Ahmad stand out with their potential to excel at the top level.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) gave a reception to the Beijing bound hockey team here on Wednesday night.

PHF President Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Pakistan Olympic Association President Syed Arif Hasan, PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa, Chinese embassy officials and former hockey stalwarts attended the reception.

President PHF announced some cash incentives for the hockey players: “The federation is offering good cash incentives to the team for the Olympic Games. Besides that, I would like to announce US$500 for each player as they depart for the Olympic Games.”

“Around 160 million Pakistanis have tied medal hope with the hockey team and I wish them good luck,” Jamali concluded.