*Pakistan 11th in World Hockey Rankings
*Australia, Netherlands maintain their positions at top
Four-time World Cup champion Pakistan that didn’t qualify this time for the mega event has been ranked 11th in the latest FIH (Federation of International Hockey) Men’s World Rankings released on Wednesday following the conclusion of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup.
However, the winners of both the Men’s and Women’s World Cup Australia and the Netherlands have maintained their positions at the top of the rankings, says a press release issued here. Argentina’s men’s team, who claimed third place in the World Cup after beating England 2-0, climbed four places in the rankings from 11th to 7th while both Germany (3rd) and England (5th) fall one place.
The top two spots in the men’s rankings are reserved for the finalists of the showpiece tournament, Australia and Netherlands. Australia’s dominant 6-1 victory in the final keeps them in the top three of the men’s rankings for the 11th consecutive year. In the women’s rankings, the Netherlands consolidated their place at the top of the world following their 2-0 win over Australia in final of the Rabobank Hockey World Cup on the 14 June.
On the other hand, the US team climbed two spaces to 8th having reached the semi-finals this year. The latest world indoor rankings were also released on Wednesday following the completion of last week’s Asia Indoor Cup. The indoor rankings illustrate Germany’s continued success in the sport with both the men’s and women’s teams topping their respective global lists.
European nations continue to dominate the indoor game contributing seven of the top 10 men’s teams and eight of the top 10 women’s teams. The world indoor rankings will determine which teams play in which pools at the Indoor World Cup 2015, which will be hosted by Germany.
