Latest News:Pakistan to play Canada for 11th position tomorrow

NEW DEHLI: Pakistan is scheduled to play minnows Canada for 11th-12th places on Thursday in World Cup Hockey.

Pakistan fared the worst among Asian teams in the current tournament, forced into a play-off for the 11th-12th places against lowly Canada after ending the league with four defeats and one win.

Former Olympians and coaches on Wednesday lamented the poor showing by Asian teams at the men's field hockey World Cup, saying Europe and Australia were now the masters of the game.

None of the three Asian teams in the 12-nation tournament - South Korea, India and Pakistan - qualified for Thursday's semi-finals, the first time since 1998 the continent will not be represented.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan have not won a major competition since their last Cup win in 1994 in Sydney.

Akhtar Rasool, who captained Pakistan during their victorious World Cup campaign in 1982, said proper planning was needed to put Asian hockey back on track.

"It's a huge task to start from scratch, but that is what we need to do," he said. "We must restore the qualities of ball control that we were once famous for and also improve fitness and speed."