Pakistan will face New Zealand today in their final round-robin match of the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Pakistan have already qualified for the final, where they will face Japan on Saturday.
The match between Pakistan and New Zealand will start at 1:00pm (Pakistan Standard Time) and will be broadcast live on Pakistan’s first-ever sports channel, Geo Super.
Pakistan are at the top of the points table in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 with three wins in four matches. They only dropped points in a drawn match against Japan.
Meanwhile, New Zealand are fourth on the table with six points after two wins and as many losses.
Speaking exclusively to GeoSuper.tv on Thursday, Pakistan’s star forward Abdul Hannan Shahid said that the match against New Zealand will be important in terms of preparations for the final.
“The match against New Zealand tomorrow will be like a practice match for us and will help us fine-tune our preparations for the final against Japan,” Hannan said.
“I’m confident that Pakistan will win the final against Japan,” he added.
Shedding light on Pakistan’s opponents in the final, Hannan said that Japan’s defensive line is extremely solid. Japan have only conceded four goals, the fewest in the tournament so far, in as many matches.
“Japan are defensively very solid and they don’t give many openings to their opponents,” he said. “As far as attack is concerned, they might not be as creative as some of the other teams but they are quite effective in taking advantage of their opponents’ mistakes on the field.”
“Pakistan have scored a high number of goals but at the same time, we are conceding at the other end as well. However, we will try to rectify our defensive flaws in the remaining matches,” he added.
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 in Gniezno, Poland, 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.
Pakistan’s results in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 so far:
Won 5-4 against Malaysia
Won 4-0 against Korea
Drew 1-1 with Japan
Won 5-4 against Canada
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