Bhubaneswar: After losing their first two matches in the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy, Pakistan are gearing up to open their account in a Pool B contest against five-time defending champions Australia at the Kalinga Stadium here Tuesday.
While in the first match Saturday, Pakistan lost to Belgium 1-2, their fragile defence was exposed against England and were thrashed 2-8.
However, Australia also did not get the results they wanted. They lost the first match against England with a score 1-3, the Kookaburras tried hard in the next match against Belgium and managed a 4-4 draw.
"We are working together to give our best shot tomorrow. Though we have not won any match yet in the tournament, the team is taking the loss as learning experience rather than losing confidence. We are strategising our moves based on the strengths and skills of individual players of our team and we look forward to make a comeback through tomorrow's clash," Australia chief coach Graham Reid said.
Both the teams are now aiming to claim victory with proper strategies and winning moves in the match Tuesday.
Speaking about the clash against Australia, Pakistan chief coach Shahnaz Sheikh said, "Tomorrow's match is going to be tough competition and we are preparing ourselves to register our first win."
Australian team has always been on top positions and hence we need to put in extra efforts to defeat them. However, our players are geared up with enthusiasm to showcase good game skills and put forward an exciting match tomorrow."
