Pakistan eye maiden Johor hockey crown, with Malaysia main threat
Pakistan return for their ninth Sultan of Johor Cup appearance, while hosts Malaysia are seeking a top-three finish.
Hosts Malaysia pose the strongest challenge to Pakistan’s hopes of winning the Sultan of Johor Cup for the first time, coach Syed Sameer said. The Under-21 hockey tournament will be held at Johor’s Taman Daya Hockey Stadium.
Sameer said Pakistan’s confidence rested partly on their Junior Asia Cup results against Malaysia in China. They won the group meeting 5-2 and took bronze with a 4-2 victory over the same opponents. He nevertheless expected home support to make Malaysia a stronger side in Johor.
Most players from Pakistan’s third-placed Junior Asia Cup squad have been retained, Sameer said. That finish secured a place at next year’s Junior World Cup. Pakistan will look to Rana Waleed and Sami Rana Abdul, who contributed a combined 17 goals at the competition.
Pakistan’s previous best result in Johor was second place in 2016. Japan, China and Canada will also contest the tournament. China are the opening opponents for both Pakistan and Malaysia, whose target is to finish in the top three.
