A twenty-member Pakistan hockey squad along with 10 stand-byes has been selected for the Sultan Azlan Shah Invitational Hockey Tournament slated to be held in Kuala Lumpur from May 26 to June 5. International midfield centre Mohammad Saqlain has been named as the captain of the team and his deputy will be Olympian Muddasar Ali Khan. It may be mentioned, that for the first time in the country's hockey history a squad containing five.
Olympians will be skippered by an international. Former Olympian Samiullah has been appointed as the manager of the team and former international left back Shafiq Ahmed, the Pakistan Juniors Camp Commandant, will accompany the team as an Associate Manager.
Likewise, the Pakistan Juniors coach former Olympian Tahir Zaman has be upgraded to the rank of Head Coach while senior team coach former Olympian Asif Bajwa has be appointed as the Associate Coach. Dr Waqar Ahmed has been named as the official team doctor.
The squad was finalised at a meeting of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Selection Committee chaired by former Olympian Akhtar Rasool and comprising former Olympians Shahnaz Sheikh, Hassan Sardar and internantional Saeed Khan with PHF Secretary Brig. Masaratullah Khan (retd) and Senior Camp Commandant Samiullah as co-opted members.
Former Olympian and Pakistan captain Islahuddin Siddiqui, a member of the selection panel did not watch the trials and missed the selectors meeting without assigning any reason.
The squad was picked after two sessions of the National hockey trials held at the Hockey Club of Pakistan (HCP) Stadium here on Sunday.
The names of those selected were disclosed to the media by Chief Selector Akthar Rasool after the approval of Tariq Kirmani, Pakistan supremo and newly appointed Chairman of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), who also witnessed the trials.
Six countries will be participating in the Sultan Azlan Shah event namely Pakistan, India, Australia, Germany, South Korea and host Malaysia.
Later, Akhtar Rasool said that this was the best possible side in the country and it was selected keeping in view with and eye to the future.
A clutch of 12 players have been elevated from the Pakistan Juniors undergoing camp training at Quetta for the Junior World Cup to be staged in Rotterdam (Netherlands) from June 29.
Brig. Masaratullah said that the PHF was of the opinion that this would be good experience for the junior team members to gain exposure at the very highest level of the game.
"For all practical purposes, this is only a one-off arrangement for the Azlan Shah competition,' added brig. Masaratullah.
As regards, the stepping up of Tahir Zaman to that as Head Coach, instead of senior camp coach Asif Bajwa. Brig Masaratullah quipped: "As Tahir was handling the majority of the youngster at the junior camp, they did not want to disturb them with another coach as their would be a difference in the training method.
Drag-flick penalty corner specialist and world record-holder Sohail Abbas was overlooked for the trip to Malaysia as he did not attend the national camp. Sohail at present is playing in the Dutch hockey league to fulfil his contractual obligations.
Olympian spearhead Kashif Jawad was dropped from the team on two counts. Firstly, because of poor form suffered recently due to a year's niggling injury he has carried. Secondly, as he is not in the right frame of mind due to the death of his father four days ago.
Manager Samiullah told Business RSecorder that he was pretty satisfied with the team selection as he has got the best available talent for the junior camp and that they are all fully fit.
GOAL-KEEPERS: Salman Akbar and Nasir Ahmed.
BACKS: Zeeshan Ashraf, Imran Warsi and Mohammad Imran.
MID-FIELDERS: Adnan Maqsood, Mohammad Saqlain (captain), Dilawar Hussain, Imran Khan and Asim Khan.
FORWARDS: Rehan Butt, Mudassir Ali Khan (vice captain), Shakeel Abbasi, Tariq Aziz, Mohammad Shabbir Hussain, Adnan Zakir, Akhtar Ali and Kashif Yaqoob, Mohammad Khalid and Yasir Islam.
STAND-BYES: Samiullah, Ehsanullah, Waqas Ahmed, Zeeshan Junior, Mohammad Ikhlaq, Mohammad Iqbal, Sajjad Anwar, Rana Ashraf, Ishtiaque Ahmed and Mohammad Arif.
OFFICIALS: Samiullah (Manager), Shafiq Ahmed (Associate Manager), Tahir Zaman (Head Coach), Asif Bajwa (Associate Coach) and Team Doctor Waqar Ahmed.