Senior hockey team’s training camp starts

KARACHI: Around sixty players reported on the first day of the national senior hockey team’s training camp here at the Edhi hockey stadium on Friday.

The head coach Khwaja Junaid told ‘The News’ that goal keeper Imran Butt could not join the camp due to injury, while Umar Hamidi was permitted to miss the camp for exams.

He said that the camp would continue for three days before a one day break.

“The purpose of this training camp is to find new faces for the future,” said Junaid.

He added that the national selection committee would shortlist the players from the camp by March 22.

The second phase of the training would comprise 35 to 40 players with those participating in the Malaysian league also set to join the camp.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Shahbaz Ahmed was also expected to visit the training camp to see its progress.