PHF chief adds four players to camp

KARACHI: President Pakistan Hockey Federation Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar has recommended four more players for the national camp, which is in progress at Johar Stadium, Lahore.

Abdul Jabbar, M Zubair, Sajid Ali and M Adnan (goalkeeper) were selected after their impressive performance for Army who won the recently-held Inter Services Championships in Rawalpindi. 

The camp of the national team probable players is for the Asian Champions Trophy to be held in Kuantan, Malaysia from October 20-30.

Meanwhile, the training camp of Pakistan Under-18s is in full swing. The Under-18s are to defend the Youth Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in September.

Pakistan U-18 team’s coach Olympian Kamran Ashraf is confident that the team will be able to defend the title.

Kamran said that trials would be held for the selection of an 18-member Pakistan under-18 team on September 2-3.

He said that after the trials, the players would be released for Eid-ul-Azha.

He said the under-18s would play a four-match series against Oman’s national team in Pakistan in the middle of September before going to Bangladesh. The schedule of the matches is yet to be announced.

The chief coach said that he was giving attention to improving all hockey skills.

“We are not just focusing on forwards or penalty corner experts. We are giving importance to every aspect of hockey to improve the skills of our players because under-18 is the ideal stage to learn and specialize,” he told ‘The News’.

Kamran said that he considered the forwards the strength of the team.

Meanwhile, the PHF has decided to organise an inter-club hockey championship in all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from next month.

The dates would be announced in a couple of days, director development and domestic Olympian Naveed Alam told this correspondent.