IPOH – Pakistan’s Sufyan Khan expressed confidence that his unbeaten side will lift the prestigious Sultan Azlan Shah Cup with the ‘grace of Allah’ and under the leadership of head coach, Roelant Oltmans.
His response came after his side’s 1-1 draw against world number 10 team, New Zealand, in their final pool match at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh today, which also saw Sufyan winning the Man of the Match award for his scintillating performance.
The 20-year-old forward is the third highest scorer in the tournament, behind Malaysia’s Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal and New Zealand’s George Baker, with a total of four goals under his belt.
Sufyan has made a total of 33 appearances for his country and was part of the Flying Green Horses side that finished third in the 2022 edition.
He was also part of the team that played in the Paris Olympics qualifiers in Oman and the junior team at the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup last year.
“I have full confidence that we will lift the title this time as we have been playing amazing hockey since the beginning of the tournament.
“The synergy and the hunger that we share in the team throughout this tournament are brilliant, and we are definitely not going to return to Islamabad empty-handed.
“We are still unbeaten in this tournament, and our record will remain even after our final match.
“With the grace of Allah and the guidance of coach Roelant, we can win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at this beautiful Azlan Shah venue,” said Sufyan during the post-match conference.
Pakistan, which has made 22 appearances in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and won the tournament three times (1999, 2000, and 2003) since its inception in 1983, will take on Japan in the final tomorrow.
Pakistan and Japan have clashed 28 times since the 1960 Rome Olympics, with Pakistan having a higher winning percentage of 46.43%.
The last time both sides met was at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup pool match, which ended in a 1-1 draw for both teams. – May 10, 2024