Hockey team for Asia Cup to be named next month

KARACHI: Pakistan senior hockey team for Asia Cup 2017 will be announced next month, ‘The News’ has learnt.

PHF sources said that 60 seniors are part of a training camp in Islamabad, who would be possibly shortlisted to 35-40 players by the national selection committee led by Hasan Sardar. 

The camp is currently headed by manager-cum-head coach Farhat Khan, along with his two assistants.

“The final team, which will represent the country in the Asia Cup in Dhaka, will be selected in the next phase of the training camp likely in the second week of September,” a source said.

“The shortlisted players will continue training till their departure for Bangladesh.”

The PHF has failed to organise a test series with any country before the Asia Cup, which could have helped the team in fine-tuning its international match experience and forming a winning combination.

Meanwhile, the PHF has announced that its Executive Board meeting will be held in Islamabad on September 10.

All PHF high officials, provincial hockey associations’ secretaries and technocrats will participate in the meeting.

The Executive Board will review the expenditures for national competitions and international engagements of senior and junior teams. Its members will discuss the arrangements to be made for the visit of World Hockey Eleven which will play two matches in Pakistan. Arrangements for Pakistan Hockey League (PHL) will also be reviewed.