Rizwan Sr to lead Pakistan in Olympics qualifiers

LAHORE: Rizwan Senior will lead the 18-member national hockey team in the Olympic qualifying round, it was announced on Friday.

The selection committee headed by Manzoor Junior watched the trials of the camp trainees here at the National Hockey Stadium on Friday. Amjad Ali and Waqar are the goalkeepers in the team. The others are Mubashar Ali, Ammad Shakil Butt and Rizwan Ali (full backs), Moin Shakil, Tasawar Abbas, Rashid Mahmood, Abubakar, Azfar Yaqoob (half backs), Ijaz Ahmed, Umar Bhutta, Rana Sohail, Rana Waheed, Ali Shan, Ghazanfar Ali, Imad Anjum and Rizwan Senior.

The team has been named after a 40-day training camp. The selected players will train till they leave for the qualifying round, said the chairman selection committee. Pakistan will play both of their qualifiers against Holland at their backyard as the host team is number 3 and Pakistan is ranked 17th, said Manzoor.

“The target for the national team is not easy and the team management has been asked to enter the field with renewed vigour,” he added. To a question, he said Mohammad Irfan, who had a visa issue, would join the team in Germany.

Head coach Khwaja Junaid said that there were seven new players in the team. “They have the chance to make their places in the team permanent,” he said. “There is tough competition between senior and junior players to be in the team,” he added. The team will leave for Germany on the morning of October 20 and play two warm up matches before the qualifiers against Holland on October 26 and 27.