LAHORE, Sept 28: Pakistan hockey coach Michel van den Heuvel said on Tuesday since a tough competition is in the offing he could not predict a gold medal for the team in the upcoming Commonwealth Games starting in New Delhi from Oct 3 to 14.

“We are not in a position to win the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games since the competition is tough. However, we'll try our best to deliver in the forthcoming Asian Games [to be held in China in November],” the Dutch coach said while talking to reporters here at the National Hockey Stadium where the 16-member Pakistan team was finalised on Tuesday after the last session of the training camp ended.

“We are to face Scotland in the first match in which we will try to take a fine start by earning a good win against them,” Michel said.

“With Australia, world's number one team, along with hosts India and Malaysia also in our pool, makes it a tough contest,” Michel, who joined the Pakistan team some four months ago after Pakistan finished hit the rock bottom in the last World Cup in New Delhi earlier this year, stated.

The coach asserted the plan was to improve Pakistan's world ranking.

“Pakistan do not deserve that poor 12th spot [they achieved in the last World Cup] as they should be among the best outfits of the world.

“Our entire planning is also focused on improving Pakistan's world ranking,” he added.

Currently, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), the game's governing body in the country, desperately wants its team to secure victory in a big tournament, like the Delhi Commonwealth Games, to erase the bad memories of the World Cup and to end the long 16-year period during which the Greenshirts did not record a win in a major international event.

Pakistan clinched the World Cup and the Champions Trophy way back in 1994 while their last triumph in Olympics was at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

The upcoming Commonwealth Games is the lone event for the current hierarchy of the PHF before the national team leave for the Asian Games, PHF's main target set some two years ago.

Meanwhile, the coach said the team underwent important training in Abbottabad and Holland, adding the boys were in good physical condition.

He suggested that Pakistan should play more and more international tournaments, which he regarded was the best way to make rapid improvement at the global level.

Meanwhile, the team was announced after the approval of the chief selector Hanif Khan on telephone.

The chief selector, according to a PHF press release, claimed the selected team was capable of reaching the victory stand in Delhi.

“After observing the performance and fitness of players during the European tour the selection committee has finalised the team [for the Commonwealth Games]. The team has the capability to reach the victory stand and we hope the players would not disappoint us,” Hanif stated.

Ten teams are taking part in the Commonwealth Games hockey event starting from Oct 5.

Pool 'A' comprises Australia, Pakistan, Malaysia, India and Scotland, while pool 'B' has England, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Trinidad & Tobago.

Pakistan will play their first match against Scotland on Oct 5, second against Malaysia on Oct 6, third against Australia on Oct 9 while their final pool match will be against arch-rivals India on Oct 10.

Classification matches and semi-finals will be played on Oct 12 with the final and bronze medal match to be held on Oct 14.

The Pakistan team has only one goalkeeper in Imran Shah as experienced goalkeepers like Salman Akbar and Nasir Ahmad have not been the part of the camp training.

Zeeshan Ashraf, who passed the fitness test on Monday along with Kashif Javed, was retained as captain of the team.

Moreover, Olympian Khawaja Junaid is set to go with the team as manager as Manzoor Junior, the origin manager, is not available for the assignment.

Imran Shah, Zeeshan Ashraf, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan, Waseem Ahmed, Mohammad Rashid, Fareed Ahmad, Shafqat Rasool, Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Haseem Khan, Mohammad Waqas Sharif, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Umar Bhutta, Mohammad Tauseeq, Mohammad Kashif Javed.

Officials: Khawaja Junaid (manager), Michel Van Den (head coach), Ahmed Alam, Ajmal Khan Lodhi (assistant coaches), Faiz-ur-Rehman (physio), Nadeem Khan Lodhi (video analyst).