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Kookas favourites for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

 

Kookas favourites for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

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Kookas favourites for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

Australia's men's hockey team starts as favourite for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup from Saturday, which also brings together former champions India, South Korea and Pakistan.

World No.2 Australia has been the most successful team at the tournament, winning in 1983, 1998, 2004 and 2005

Australia's men's hockey team starts as favourite for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup from Saturday, which also brings together former champions India, South Korea and Pakistan.

World No.2 Australia has been the most successful team at the tournament, winning in 1983, 1998, 2004 and 2005 and is the highest ranked outfit in Ipoh, in Malaysia's north.

The 2004 Olympic champions and runners-up at the World Cup in Germany last year are, like other teams, looking to expose their younger players ahead of the Beijing Olympics next year.

Australia has included one uncapped player in Fergus Kavanagh and four others with eight or less international caps -- Edward Ockenden (8), Daniel Mcpherson (3), Kiel Brown (4) and Desmond Abbott (2).

Australian coach Barry Dancer said the tournament offered a good chance to gauge the young brigade who will be staking a claim for the Olympic team.

"This tournament has always provided a high class field and the competition offers teams the best chance to expose their players," Dancer said.

"It is also another chance for us to look at the teams that will finally play in Beijing and this early assessment will greatly benefit us as well as them."

The Australians are in Group A, along with three-time winner India, Argentina and debutants China.

Pakistan, which has also won three times, heads Group B with one-time winner South Korea, Malaysia and Canada.

As former champions, South Korea, Pakistan and India will certainly be seen as potential winners, or at least capable of giving Australia a fight. But with each team testing new players, Malaysia, China, Argentina and Canada cannot be ruled out of the equation.

Eight-time Olympic champion India has brought six rookies and with a new coach Joaquim Carvalho at the helm there are concerns over their ability to challenge.

Missing are star players like Dilip Tirkey, Gagan Ajit Singh and Sandeep Singh, although the return of William Xalco, Bimal Lakra and Ignatious Tirkey should provide some relief in defence.

Pakistan is another giant which has come crashing down hard in recent years. Their semi-final defeat at the hands of China in the Doha Asian Games last year was a low point in their hockey history, from which they have yet to recover. They too have changed coach, with former Olympian Islahuddin Siddique taking over from Shannaz Sheikh.

Siddique has been tasked with taking Pakistan back into the elite grouping in the world order at the Beijing Olympics.

"The team is going through a rebuilding process and it is difficult at this stage to comment on their performance," said Pakistan captain Rehan Butt.

"But we have worked tremendously hard for the last 24 days in the camp and we will give our best in Ipoh."

Pakistan has left out senior players like Shakeel Abbasi and Adnan Mohamed, while the veteran duo of Sohail Abbas and Wassim Ahmad have been discarded.

AFP

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