Two new foreign-based players named for Maldives friendly

KARACHI: FIFA-appointed PFF Normalisation Committee on Wednesday named two uncapped foreign-based footballers in the country’s senior national football team which will face Maldives in an international friendly on March 21 at Gan, Maldives.

Denmark-based striker Abdul Samad Shehzad and London-based 19-year-old midfielder Harun Hamid will make their debuts on the tour.

Pakistan-grown Mohammad Sufyan and Umar Saeed will also make their debuts.

Denmark-based defender Abdullah Iqbal has also retained his place in the team. Abdullah had been tested in the international friendly against Nepal last year.

The 20-year-old striker Abdul Samad Shehzad belongs to Denmark’s First Division club HB Køge. Harun Hamid plays for Queens Park Rangers Under-21.

They will join the squad in Maldives. The country’s seasoned midfielder Mohammad Riaz could not make a place in the squad. Sources said that he did not impress the team management with his fitness and form.

Team sources told ‘The News’ that the team will fly out of Lahore for Maldives on March 19.

“Tickets are being purchased and most probably we will fly on March 19,” a source said.

Meanwhile, sources told 'The News' that NC is also making effort to arrange another game for the touring party within FIFA Days or outside of it during the tour.

“Efforts are on and there are also chances that we may play a game in the UAE after the game against Maldives,” a source said.

“We will also request Maldives to play a game with us outside FIFA days so let’s see what happens. We want to give more exposure to the team,” the source said.

Pakistan team will be led by a new skipper on the tour.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Saqib Hanif, Abdul Basit, Salman-ul-Haq; Defenders: Mamoon Musa Khan, Syed Abdullah Shah, Abdullah Iqbal, Haseeb Ahmed Khan, Touqeer-ul-Hassan, Sardar Wali, Rao Umar Hayat, Abdul Qadeer Khan, Ali Khan Niazi, Mohammad Sufyan; Midfielders: Ali Uzair, Alamgir Ghazi, Zain-ul-Abideen Ishaq, Harun Hamid; Forwards: Shayek Dost, Mohammad Waleed Khan, Moin Ahmed, Abdul Samad Shahzad, Umar Saeed, Mohammad Waheed.