Junior hockey team management to be named next week

KARACHI: The PHF secretary Olympian Asif Bajwa has said that the team management and probable players for the training camp of Pakistan junior team would be named next week.

The national junior hockey team is to play Asia Cup 2020 and a few other international tournaments next year. The PHF secretary told ‘The News’ on Tuesday that 36th national junior championship was being played in Lahore these days and the national selection committee led by Olympian Manzoor Junior was watching all the matches to pick promising boys for Asia Cup 2020 and Junior Hockey World Cup 2021.

He said that at least five players of national senior team which recently visited the Netherlands for Olympic qualifying matches would be part of the junior team as they are still under 21. “It is a blessing for us that they have played high standard, rigorous hockey during their training days and later in Germany and Holland. That experience will be beneficial for our junior squad,” Bajwa added.

The PHF secretary said that the selection committee would call 30 to 50 players for the training camp. He further said that those junior players who visited Australia two years ago would be considered for selection if they were under 21.

“We haven’t planned matches with other countries for the junior team so far but we will have to arrange 12 to 15 matches before the Asia Cup 2020 so that we have a good combination of players who have some experience as well,” he added. Bajwa said that the schedule of the training camp would be announced after the management was named.