GOLD COAST - Pakistan men’s hockey team were kicked out of the race for medals after England and India bagged wins on Tuesday in their respective matches at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.
Pakistan were able to extract three draws from their first three matches against Wales (1-1), India (2-2) and England (2-2) to gather only three points and were left reeling on the third spot.
Meanwhile, England and India won two of their three matches and drew against the Men in Green to grab seven points each and enter contention for the semi-finals. However, Pakistan captain M Rizwan wants to fight for the fifth spot after they take on Malaysia on Wednesday. A win over Malaysia would put them in a fifth-sixth place match, while a loss would push them into a seventh-eighth place match.
“Malaysia have won only one match in the competition and they are not doing well,” Rizwan said. “So, we have a chance against them as we are in a good form and we want to win that last pool match.”
He then rued the missed opportunities which led to three draws on the trot. “It is sad that we missed the chance to play for a medal in the Games,” he said. “I wish we had done better in the previous matches so we could have been in a better position. “Still, we want to end on the best spot possible. We will have to finish at the fifth spot now. We can’t afford a defeat now.” Always all-praise for the new Pakistan coach Roelant Oltmans, Rizwan said he is working hard with players once again so that they are in the best form against Malaysia.
“Each and every player is working hard,” said Rizwan. “It is good to see the players put an extra effort in training and we so hope this reaps positive results for Pakistan.”