Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2004

Entertainment Cricket and Other Sports
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Hockey season is back! woohoo… :rotato:

Tournament Fixtures

  • January 8: Pakistan vs Korea, Germany vs India, Spain vs Malaysia

  • January 9: Pakistan vs India, Spain vs Australia, Germany vs Malaysia

  • January 10: Australia vs Korea

  • January 11: Germany vs Korea, India vs Malaysia, Pakistan vs Spain

  • January 12: Australia vs Malaysia, Pakistan vs Germany

  • January 13: Korea vs Spain, India vs Australia

  • January 14: Germany vs Spain, Pakistan vs Malaysia, India vs Korea

  • January 15: Pakistan vs Australia

  • January 16: India vs Spain, Germany vs Australia, Korea vs Malaysia

  • January 17: Rest day

  • January 18: Classification matches and Final

Pakistan to meet Korea in 2004 Azlan Shah opener

Karachi, November 8: Three time champions Pakistan will begin their title defence in the 2004 edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup with the event’s inaugural match against Asian Games champions South Korea on January 8 in Kuala Lumpur.

**According to the draws of the 13th Azlan Shah Cup made avilable here, defending champions Pakistan will be among seven top flight teams in international hockey who will be competing for top honours in the annual tournament to be played from January 8 to 18. **

World champions Germany, who finished second last year, are the top draw. The other top teams are Asia Cup champions India, Commonwealth Games gold medalists Australia, Champions Challenge winners Spain, South Korea and hosts Malaysia.

The tournament’s most mouth-watering clash will come on the second day when Asian giants and old foes Pakistan and India will meet in a league match.

It will be the ninth team since June 2003, that Pakistan and India will be playing against each other in an international tournament. India have enjoyed the upper hand in recent matches having won five of the eight games played between the two sides.

Pakistan and India and twice played against each other in the final of a major international event since September this year. Both the times, India prevailed over Pakistan beating the green shirts in the Asia Cup final in Kuala Lumpur and the Afro-Asian Games final in Hyderabad (India) earlier this month.

India will begin their campaign in the 2004 Azlan Shah Cup with a match against world’s number one hockey team, Germany. Three of the seven participating teams, Germany, Australia and South Korea, have already booked berths to the Athens Olympics next year. The other four teams will play in the qualifying tournament, which will be held in Madrid Spain in March.

Thus, for varying reasons the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur will prove crucial for all the teams.

India had pulled out of the last edition after the government denied it permission to make the trip, due to the alleged harassment of Indian IT professionals in Malaysia.

Except for Spain and Malaysia all the other teams have won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup before. India won the event thrice (1995, 1991 and 1985). Pakistan also has won it thrice (1999, 2000 and 2003), while Germany (1987 and 2001) and Australia (1983 and 1998) won twice. England (1994) and Korea (1996) won once.

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Pakistan recall Sohail, Ahmed, Waseem for Azlan Shah Cup

KARACHI: Defending champions Pakistan on Thursday finalised a strong 18-member squad for next month’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur bringing back their experienced trio that missed the team’s last international outing.

Short corner specialist Sohail Abbas, experienced goal-keeper Ahmed Alam and influential mid-fielder Waseem Ahmed were among the national squad that has been finalised by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on the recommendations of team coach Roelant Oltmans.

The trio did not play in the inaugural edition of the Afro-Asian Games in the South Indian city of Hyderabad. The Pakistanis were beatan by India in the final of the tournament. Unlike India who have included a number of rookies in their Azlan Shah Cup squad, Pakistan have opted to send their top string to defend the title they won last year by beating world champions Germany 1-0 in the final. The 2004 event will be played at the National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur from January 8 to 18.

“We finalised the squad mostly on the basis of the players’ performance in the triangular series held in Karachi last week,” said PHF secretary Brigadier Musrratullah Khan while talking to ‘The News’ from Lahore on Thursday.

Musarrat said that the PHF did not finalise the team earlier because Oltmans wanted to have a few more sessions with the camp probables before the announcement. The team does not have many surprises as Oltmans has decided to stick with the tried and tested players.

**The only ununsual decision is to include three goal-keepers instead of two in the squad. Former Pakistan skipper Ahmed Alam, Mohammad Qasim and Salman Akber will be the three goalies in the team. The team includes three full-backs, five mid-fielders and seven forwards.

Forward Muhammad Nadeem ND was retained as the skipper while Wasim will once again resume his duties as the vice-captain.**

By finalising the team without going through the rituals of trials sessions, the PHF has taken a bold decision. In the past, the national senior and junior teams were selected after holding trials spanning over one or two days, an practice that is seen by many as an exercise in futility.

This time the traingular series that was contested by the Azan Shah Cup probables, Pakistan Juniors and Malaysia served as an opportunity for the team management, national selection committee and the PHF top brass to screen the players ahead of the team selection.

The 18 players selected for the Azlan Shah Cup and the reserves will undergo two more training sessions here at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium today before getting a week-long break till December 26. They will reassemble in Karachi to resume their training from December 27. Coach Oltmans who is scheduled to fly to Holland today to spend Christmas and New year with his family will return to Karachi on January 1.

The Pakistanis are scheduled to fly for Kuala Lumpur on January. They will open their title defence with a match against Korea on January 8. World champions Germany, Australia, India, Spain and Malaysia are the other participating nations.

PHF under coach Roelant Oltmans’s influence…hmmmm

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Aussies to send best team for Azlan Shah Cup

PERTH: Former world hockey champions Australia have named a formidable squad for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur from January 8-18, including only one junior player. All other players are aged above 23.

They have also retained seven players from their 2002 World Cup side. Australian chief coach Barry Dancer said all those selected for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup are from Olympic training squad.

"This tournament is very important for us as it will show me where we stand against the top sides. We are in process of selecting our Olympic team and this tournament offers players a chance to show their skills and earn a place in the final squad. “Mark Knowles is only junior player in the team and is uncapped. The rest of players have played in World Cup, Champions Trophy and other international matches over last 12 months,” he said. Of 18 players in the team that finished third in the World Cup last year, four have quit the international scene. They are goalkeeper Lachlan Dreher, Jeremy Hiskins, Mathew Smith and Daniel Sproule.

The seven players still in squad are Liam de Young, Michael Mccann, Troy Elder, Mark Hikman, Aaron Hopkins, Mathew Wells and Brent Livermore. Dancer said 11 of the players also took part in Champions Trophy in August while others played in Oceania qualifying tournament against New Zealand in September.

Two players who were picked for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup earlier had to be replaced as they were injured. They are Nathan Eglington and Andrew Smith. Michael Mccann and Michael Boyce replaced them. Australians are going to Kuala Lumpur early so they can hold a short training stint prior to the tournament. The team would arrive on Jan 1 and have arranged two practice matches before the tournament begins on Jan 8.

He said he was happy that all teams in the tournament were among top 10 in the world.

  • Australian team: Brent Livermore, Matthew Wells, Ben Bishop, Travis Brooks, Liam De Young, Michael Boyce, Troy Elder, Rob Hammond, Josh Hawes, Mark Hickman, Aaron Hopkins, Mark Knowles, Stephen Mowlam, Michael Mccann, Grant Schubert, Ben Taylor, Tristram Woodhouse, Zain Wright.
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Well,India has sent 2nd string team.So I m not intrested in this tournament.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by fair_&_balance: *
Well,India has sent 2nd string team.So I m not intrested in this tournament.
[/QUOTE]

Why is India sending a second string team when it is a major tournament?

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ehsan: *

Why is India sending a second string team when it is a major tournament?
[/QUOTE]

We are experimenting... e dont hink anything other than olypic,WC,champions and Asiad is major tournament

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Well if you are experimenting than it is not second string team. It is a team with with new faces.

Or are you hedging your bets. :smiley:

Lack of pebbles can be devastating on one’s thought process. :hehe:

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Team with new faces means not the first choice team.So it is 2nd string team.

:slight_smile:
PS: In 2 more week I will have lots of pebbles.

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PHF announces players for training camp

LAHORE: The national hockey camp of the senior probables – for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – will restart on December 27 at Hockey Club of Pakistan Karachi. **“All the probables now attending the camp will disperse on December 20 for a six-day break,” ** informed a spokesman for the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) here on Friday.

He said on the recommendations of head coach Roelant Oltmans, and on the performance of the players observed by the national selection committee during the recently concluded triangular series, the following 18 players had been approved by the PHF president for the camp.

  • Goalkeepers: Ahmed Alam, Muhammad Qasim and Salman Akbar.

  • Full-backs: Ali Raza, Sohail Abbas and Zeeshan Ashraf,

  • Half-backs: Muhammad Waseem, Ghazanfar Ali, Dilawar Hussain, Adnan Maqsood and Muhammad Saqlain.

  • Forwards: Rehan Butt, Mudassar, Ali Khan, Saleem Khalid, Shakeel Abbasi, Muhammad Nadeem, Kashif Jawwad and Muhammad Shabbir.

**“The head coach has recommended that the three players – Tariq Imran, Imran Rasool and Mukhtar Ahmed – from among the stand-byes will be further observed in the final phase of the training camp. In addition, Sameer Hussian and Abdul Aasim Khan will also attend the final phase for the training camp for further observation,” he added. **

The team leaves for Kuala Lumpur on January 4 to take part in the Azlan Shah Cup.

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I hope with sohial abbas and M. waseem they will put a good show

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:salam:

Does anyone know if this tournment is being broadcasted on any TV channel.

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:wsalam:

If you live outside of Pakistan, be sure to check out website www.willow.tv Willow might show the coverage.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ehsan: *

Why is India sending a second string team when it is a major tournament?
[/QUOTE]

India has a few scores to settle with Malaysia.

(1) Malaysia arrested some Indian IT profs last year....India retaliated by not sending its team to the Azlan Shah Cup. It might be an extension of that retaliatory mood this year too.
(2) Indian Hockey Chief and supercop KPS Gill lost the election to International Hockey Federation Chairman to a Malaysian.

So u see.... we Indians dont forgive and forget easily...

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Malaysia, India resolve differences over hockey selection

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has accepted India’s explanation for not fielding its top team in next month’s Azlan Shah tournament and they will be allowed to compete, a senior official said Thursday. “They said the players that will participate are among the 25 members in the training squad,” S. Satgunam, secretary of the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) told AFP. The India Hockey Federation said it would rest nine senior players, including Gagan Ajit Singh and Dilip Tirkey, for the seven-nation invitation tournament in Kuala Lumpur from January 8-18.

The MHF had threatened to scratch the depleted Indian team, saying a second-string team will devalue the annual tournament. **World champions Germany, Australia, holders Pakistan, South Korea, Spain and hosts Malaysia are the other teams taking part in what is regarded as an important build-up for the Athens Olympics. **

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Dutch coach determined to boost hockey performance

KARACHI: New chief hockey coach Roelant Oltmans Wednesday said that his goal was to make Pakistan team a formidable winning combination. “Pakistan got some great players and it is challenge for me to get best out of these players,” he told reporters at his first news conference along with Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary, Mussaratullah Khan here.

“Improving their ball control and possession tactics will be my top priorities. Pakistan has great attacking players in its fold and my focus is to improve their mental and physical strength,” former Netherlands coach stated. He said his aim was to prepare more attacking players instead of four to five players. Oltmans said Pakistan was rated among the best with Germany, Australia, Netherlands but teams like Spain, Argentina, India and Korea were also coming up fast.

“Despite being Dutch my total commitment will be for Pakistan to win even if it is up against Netherlands,” he said in response to a question regarding sympathies for Pakistan team. Oltmans said his first target would be to help Pakistan qualify for the Athens Olympic from Madrid qualifying rounds in March 2004.

He said he got only nine months for Olympics to train and prepare the Pakistan team but personally he would have preferred a longer period. Oltmans, under whose coaching Netherlands won Olympics, World Cup and Champions Trophy, said Pakistan got a long history of achievements in hockey and he with his associates would be working hard till Olympics. He, however, made it clear that a lot of hard work was needed to improve the performance of the team. —APP

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As far as i know for Mid-East and Europe Ten Sports is showing and i think (not sure) Euro Sports which is Free To Air

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sukeria Zero_one

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Can follow the tournament on:

http://www.planetfieldhockey.com/Cat-View-147

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Sukeria Ehsan bahi

Insha’allah jeet Pakistan ki ho Gi
:jhanda:

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Sucks :(

There are no Live Coverage for this event.