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Pakistan postpone arrival for hockey World Cup
Out of the 24-member contingent --- 18 players and six support staff ---, head coach Tauqeer Dar, assistant coach Danish Kaleem and Muhammad Irfan Jr (player) did not get their visas on Friday.
The Pakistan hockey team on Monday postponed its travel plans to India for the World Cup by three days and will now arrive on Saturday.
“Three members of our contingent still have not got the visas. The Indian embassy has dispatched the passports and we should get them by tomorrow (Tuesday). It makes no sense to send the contingent in two batches,” Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary-general Shahbaz Ahmad said from Lahore.
Out of the 24-member contingent --- 18 players and six support staff ---, head coach Tauqeer Dar, assistant coach Danish Kaleem and Muhammad Irfan Jr (player) did not get their visas on Friday.
The tournament starts in Bhubaneswar on November 28 and Pakistan play their first game, against Germany, on December 1. “Also, there is no point coming earlier when our match is on December 1. We also decided to postpone our departure so that the boys don’t feel homesick,” added Ahmad.
The most successful team in the history of the World Cup, four-time winners Pakistan have been clubbed with Germany, Netherlands and Malaysia in Pool D.
Govers retires
Australia forward Kieran Govers on Monday announced his retirement from international hockey, effective immediately. The 30-year-old enjoyed a decorated career, debuting in January 2010 against South Korea in Hobart.
Govers won two World Cups (2010, 2014), three Champions Trophy titles (2010, 2011, 2012), one World League Final (2014-15), one Oceania Cup (2011), Commonwealth Games gold (2014) and an Olympic bronze (2012).
He represented Australia 126 times, scoring 60 goals, including the memorable goals in the 2012 Champions Trophy, 2012 London Olympics and 2014 World Cup.
“It’s a sad day to know that I have announced my retirement but a happy time to celebrate what was. You never want it to end and always want to keep playing but having a great chat with coach Colin Batch about the future and how it might go it was time to go in different directions,” Govers said.
