Pakistan hockey team reclaims spot in top ten

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Hockey team has moved back in top ten hockey teams after their outstanding performance in the Champions Trophy Hockey tournament held in India in December.

According to the latest ranking issued by International Hockey Federation (FIH), Pakistan got promoted to one level and regained a place in the top ten.

FIH has released the latest FIH World Rankings as of December 2014.

These include points awarded following the completion of the Hockey World League Round One the 2014 Champions Trophy and the Champions Challenge events.

In the FIH Men s World Rankings Australia the Netherlands and Germany retained their top three spots respectively.

Below them England moved up into fourth place and Argentina whose team includes the recently crowned 2014 FIH Rising Star of the Year Gonzalo Peillat moved up to their highest ever ranking (6) ahead of New Zealand.

Pakistan moves back into the top ten at the expense of Spain who dropped one place.

The Men’s World Rankings are joined for the first time by Tanzania (73) and Iran (70) following their participation in the Hockey World League Round One.

Other notable moves are Azerbaijan who are up three places to 31 which is their highest ever ranking and both Bulgaria (55) and the Dominican Republic (57) moved up five places each.