18-member Pak hockey team for Asiad named

KARACHI: Chairman national selection committee Islahuddin Siddiqui on Monday announced 18-memeber national hockey team for participation in the forthcoming Asian Games. Asian Games are scheduled to be held at Indonesian capital Jakarta from August 18. The final trials were conducted here on Monday. The other members of national selection Farhat Khan and Musaddiq were not present on the occasion. However the other two members Ayaz Mehmod and Qasim Khan were present for the trials. Islahuddin said that Musaddiq was busy at the wedding of his daughter while messages through SMS have been sent to Farhat Khan but the contact could not be established with him. Islah said that in the selection of the playersthe opinion of head coach Roelant Oltmans and manager Hasan Sardar was given importance. He said that physical fitness ad form of the players was considered and also the recommendations of manager and head coach.

Islahuddin said that he watched the players in the training camp regularly along with members of the national selection committee and discussed with them the selection of the players.

He said that if the players played according to their game plan and skill their old problem of missing the goal-scoring chances Pakistan would have good position in the Asian Games.

He added that two goalkeepers have been selected in the team and that Pakistan junior hockey team captain Junaid Manzoor is also in the national senior team for Asian Games as forward.

Team manager Hasan Sardar said that Pakistan would have no other option but to win the gold medal in Asian Games to get the direct qualification for Olympics 2020. He said that forwards were not scoring the goals and missing of goal-scoring chances. This was a serious concern ad he himself with Rehan Butt, the assistant coach, worked out on the forward line during the training camp.

Another player Aleem Bilal, who was also part of the champions Trophy, is also not included in the national team for Asian Games.He hoped that national hockey would perform well in the Asian Games.

Mohammad Rizwan Sr has been retained as the team captain and Ammad Shakeel Butt has been named vice-captain.Squad: Imran Butt, Amjad Ali, Irfan Sr, Mubashir, Faisal Qadir, Rashid Mehmood, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Tasawwur Abbas, Umar Bhutta, Rizwan Sr, Shafqat Rasool, Taufiq Arshad, Ejaz Ahmed, Abu Bakar Mehmood, Ateeq Arshad, Ali Shan, Dilbar and Junaid Manzoor.