Pakistan not taking Malaysia lightly despite strong head-to-head record
PAKISTAN men's hockey team coach Tahir Zaman admitted that his squad has no advantage against Malaysia in the opening match of the FIH Nations Cup tomorrow, despite having a good head-to-head record against the Speedy Tigers.
According to him, past results cannot be used as a benchmark, and he holds great respect for the Malaysian team, which he considers a strong side.
'We will not go by records because nowadays hockey and world rankings have changed. We are quite aware of that.
'So, as I said, we do have respect for our opponents Malaysia. They are stronger when playing on home ground and with crowd support,' he told a pre-match press conference here today.
Pakistan holds a strong record against Malaysia, with 20 wins, eight draws and five losses since 1968.
The last time the two teams met was during the group stage of the Asian Champions Trophy, where the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Meanwhile, Pakistan team captain Ammad Shakeel Butt described Malaysia as a formidable and experienced team that is difficult to beat.
He said the match against Malaysia would serve as a good test for Pakistan.
'Malaysia is also a very strong opponent, and we are already preparing for that. So, we will give them a hard time,' he added.
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