Qatar to get first taste of Test hockey

By N.D. Prashant /Doha

ALL SET: Qatar hockey players jog during a training session at the Al Rayyan Stadium yesterday. They will play their first ever hockey Test match, against Oman, at the same venue today. Picture: Noushad Thekkayil

Qatar will make history today when they play their first hockey Test match at the Al Rayyan Stadium in a mouth-watering clash that will see India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Qatar-born players play as one team against Oman. The match begins at 6.30pm.Oman, ranked seventh in Asia, clearly start as firm favourites, but Qatar’s Malaysian coach Shaiful Azli is confident that his team can put up a good fight. “This is of course a major tournament for us. It’s like a stepping stone for us to excel further. I’m pretty confident about my players and I feel they are ready to take on higher ranked teams. We played two matches with Sudan recently and won convincingly. However, Oman is a very experienced side and it will be a tough competition but we shall do our best,” said Azli on the eve of the match. Azli, who was the part of the Malaysian bronze medal winning squad at the 2002 Busan Asian Games, is with the Qatar team for almost a year now and was pleased with the progress of his side.“Local league has improved from last year. Teams have become competitive and more importantly, players are making an effort to adapt to European style of play. Last year, I saw players were carrying the ball a bit too much and dribbling a lot. Now the boys are showing signs of improvement and they are ready to accept the European style of hockey as well,” revealed Azli.Unlike their counterparts, who have all Omani players in their squad, Qatar team will see a blend of Asian and Qatari players. After years of efforts, the Qatar Hockey Federation managed to rope in five nationals, and they are showing great promise.

Qatar coach Shaiful Azli (L) and his Oman counterpart Sabil al-Balushi

“We have five Qatari players in the side and two of them are very talented. We spotted two good players from schools and one Qatari player had the experience of playing hockey when he was studying in South Africa. He came back from there and has continued playing here, so the signs for the future are great. Having won the rights to host the Asian Champions Trophy should attract more talent in future,” feels Azli.Leading Qatar’s challenge upfront will be Wanderers ace striker Savio Nayak along with Sheraz Ali Rafaqat and Tariq Nazir Ahmad. Nayak’s teammate and stalwart Juned Coutinho will take care of the axis, while the backline will be patrolled by Mohamed Waseem. Shazad Ali Rafaqat will guard the citadel.For Oman, on the other hand, this is a preparatory tournament keeping in mind the 2013 Asia Cup qualifying tournament the AHF Cup to be held in Bangkok from April 20 to 29. Oman has never qualified for the Asia Cup and are keen to do so this time history books. Though hockey has been played in Oman from the 1930s, it came into the FIH fold only in 1983. Their best performance so far came when they finished seventh in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.“We were looking forward to get such an opportunity to play against our neighbours for long time. It is now an official Test series and so we are here play good hockey. I’m sure my boys will put up a good solid performance,” said Oman coach Sabil Hassan al-Balushi. Qatar Squad: Shahzad Ali Rafaqat, Adnan Mohamed Aslam, Mohamed Sohail  Mohamed Mustafa, Sheraz Ali Rafaqat, Tariq Nazir Ahmad, Sami Ullah Saleem  Mohamed,  Mohamed Anwar  Mohamed Faqir, Mohamed Waseem Mohamed Abdul Rauf, Savio Manjunath Nayak, Nazmi Kamarudin, Mohamed Nor Hafiq Abdul Gaffar, Yousef Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, Hadi Ahmed Imtiaz Patel, Mohamed Hamood Imtiaz Patel, Hamad saeed al-Sahoti, Salem al-Mansouri, Juned Cutinho, Mohamed Azaan Mohamed Abdul Nazer, Khalifa Saeed al-Sahoti, Tarek Abdrobu Rabh Abdul Hameed, Mubarak Ibrahim al-Sulaiti, Omer Gul Zeb Late Gul Zeb Oman Squad: Abdul Jabar Yaqoob al Balushi, Ghasssan Gharib al Hasni, Aiman Abdullah al-Kathiri, Saleh Nasser al-Saadi, Asharaf Talib al-Nasseri, Hussain Ali Mubarak, Khalid Juma al-Shaaibi, Ahmed Sabeel al-Balushi, Marwan Abdul Rehman, Waleed Abdullah al-Hasni, Sameer Hulees al-Shibili, Yunis Ghabish al-Nofoli, Mohammed Hubais al-Shar, Shakir Awadh Said, Sami Awadh Said, Ikram Juman Ramdhan, Abdullah Hamood al Alwai, Shahab Nahadha Bait Saad, Hani Mubarak al-Kulaibi, Murshid Rabia Said Hawait, Ahmed Siddique Obaidoon.