Rizwan retained as captain for Asian Champions Trophy

KARACHI: Rizwan Senior and Ammad Shakeel Butt retained their positions of captain and vice captain as the selection committee made five changes to the team for Asian Champions Trophy here on Friday.

Announcing the team here at Edhi stadium, chief selector Islahuddin said that Pakistan desperately need dynamic forwards, especially centre forwards. “One thing is clear. Unless forwards and PC specialists score goals, we can’t win at the international level,” he said while talking to reporters.

Islah said that head coach Hasan Sardar himself was a great centre forward of his time and knew the importance of finding out a goal-scoring centre forward. He said that the Asian Champions Trophy would be a tough tournament where all leading Asian countries are participating.

Sardar said that strategy and coaching plan of Roelant Oltmans was continued but with the thought of attacking game. He said that Pakistan were still failing to win important matches, even against Asian team.

He said that the team management continued work on forwards and PC drag flickers to remove their shortcomings. “The team has prepared well. We have reduced the margin of defeat in a few months. The team management has put in all efforts to train the boys for important matches, especially the forwards,” he added.

In the past six months not a single goal was scored against any strong team by any centre forward, Sardar admitted. He said that team management had prepared Irfan Junior and Ateeq as centre forward. “Hopefully good results will be achieved in the events ahead,” he said.

Sardar said that Aleem Bilal and Mubashir Ali would be the main PC drag flickers. Pakistan: Imran Butt (GK) Irfan Sr, Aleem Bilal, Mubashir Ali, M Touseeq, Tasawar Abbas, Ejaz Ahmed, Ammad Shakeel Butt (VC) Irfan Jr, Rizwan Ali (captain), Ali Shan, Mazhar Abbas (GK), Rizwan Jr, Faisal Qadir, Abu Bakar, Umer Bhutta, M Atiq, M Zubair.