-Photo by APP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s hockey team is currently undergoing a tough regimen to improve two areas in which it has historically excelled at: finishing in goal and penalty-corners. Manager Khawaja Junaid revealed the camp at the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium is focused to a large extent to iron out these weaknesses.

“The players will be pushed to focus on improving these skills,” Junaid said as his team trained for the upcoming Three-Nation and International Super Hockey Series in Perth, Australia.

“The Dutch coach of Pakistan, Michael van den Heuvel, joined the camp on Sunday and is making the players undergo tough training.”

“These upcoming events are the best chance for the players to show their talent before the 2012 London Olympics,” he told APP.

Junaid was optimistic about Pakistan’s chances in the big events, claiming the team’s recent show at the 1st Asian Champions Trophy had done their confidence a world of good.

The players called for the camp include: Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Rizwan Sr, Muhammad Zubair, Muhammad Imran Jr, Abdul Haseem Khan, Imran Shah, Muhammad Umar Bhutta, Muhammad Irfan, Shafqat Rasool, Muhammad Kashif Javed, Ali Shan, Salman Akbar.

Tasawwar Abbas, Muhammad Suleman, Muhammad Imran, Shakeel Abbasi, Syed Kashif Shah, Imran Butt, Muhammad Rizwan Jr, Waseem Ahmed, Rashid Mehmood, Fareed Ahmed, Muhammad Tousiq and Muhammad Waqas.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...