Pakistan juniors coach Roelant Oltmans reckons the showdown against Australia in the semifinals of the 11th Sultan of Johor Cup on Friday will be a ‘new experience’ for his players.
“It will be a very tough match. Australia is a very good team, very well structured, well organized and very good individual players. They did not concede many goals – only two in the whole tournament,” said Oltmans yesterday.
“It will be a great challenge for us, like a new weather. That is the way I look at it. We are preparing for the Junior World Cup and trying to find out the best combinations and what we can do to improve things. We are happy to play against such good teams in this tournament.
The Pakistanis’ junior side, added Oltmans, have never played the Australians in the last few years.
“If I can recall in my time with the team this is the first time we will be playing against Australia. The senior team has played Australia in the 2018 Champions Trophy if I can remember but as far as I know this is the first time Pakistan juniors will play Australia.
“It is a new weather. It is going to be a very challenging match between Pakistan and Australia. We really have to be on our toes from the first until the last second of the match because one moment of losing focus you are caught and finish!”
Pakistan has two players nursing injuries and the management will decide who among the two will take the field tomorrow.
On Pakistan’s chances of reaching the SOJC final, the Dutchman said, “We also should be realistic and we all know that this is a tough tournament. We have four strong teams in the semifinals – India the winner of the last couple of years, Germany and Australia are good sides and not forgetting Pakistan, so I am not so much concern about winning.”
“I am thinking about developing the team towards the World Cup. “That is the place we need to peak so the experience we get in the two last matches in the SOJC tournament is more important than winning. Off course if you can win why lose the opportunity,” he said.