Our Correspondent
KARACHI: China on Monday night became the first international hockey team to visit Pakistan in almost seven years.

Hours after landing in Karachi, China’s coach Li Gaochao announced that his charges were here to learn from Pakistan in a bid to boost their chances of qualifying for next August’s Olympic Games in London.

“We have come here to learn from Pakistan,” Gaochao told reporters here at the Hockey Club of Pakistan (HCP) ahead of the opening match of the four-Test Friendship Series to be played on Wednesday (today).
“Pakistan are one of the leading teams in the world and we are hoping to learn from them as we look forward to qualifying for the Olympics,” he added.

While Pakistan have made the cut for the London Games by virtue of winning the 2010 Asian Games in China, the visitors will have to do well in next year’s Olympic Qualifiers in order to win a ticket to London.

While the Chinese officials have downplayed their chances of beating Pakistan in the series, the team’s past track record makes it clear that it cannot be taken for granted. China stunned Pakistan in the semifinals of the 2006 Asian Games in Doha and have since been a regular feature in international hockey events.

“China have brought almost the same team that featured in the Asian Games last year,” Shahid Ali Khan, the Pakistan coach, told ‘The News’. “They have several experienced players. They are good in short corner conversions. Their biggest strength, however, is fitness,” said the former Olympian.

Shahid said that his team will have to take an early lead to keep China under pressure. “For a team like China, you need early goals but that really bring them under pressure.”

Shahid said that Pakistan will go all out for a convincing win against China in the series opener today. “A good start is always really helpful which is why the team will be focused on a convincing win tomorrow.”

Muhammad Imran, the Pakistan captain, is expecting his team to bounce back after flopping miserably in the 2011 Champions Trophy earlier this month in Auckland where it finished seventh.

“We need to play as a team and give our best because China won’t be easy opponents,” said the experienced defender. Meanwhile, both teams have given a green signal to the playing facilities at the HCP, which had become a picture of neglect in recent years.

“The pitch is a bit bumpy but I’m sure that it’s good enough to host international matches,” said Shahid. “We have a practice session at the HCP today and it went well.” Song Yi, China’s captain, also gave the thumbs up to HCP turf which seems to be in a pretty bad shape.

“There’s nothing wrong with the turf here,” he said. “We had a warm-up session today and the conditions were fine.”

In recent times, international teams have been staying away from Pakistan because of security concerns but China’s players and officials have said that they feel safe here.

“Before coming here, Pakistan assured us best possible security measures and after arriving in Karachi I must say that we are happy with the arrangement that have been made for us,” said Gaochao, the Chinese coach. After today’s opening match, both teams will meet again here on Thursday before the last two games in Faisalabad and Lahore later this week.