T20I series in Lahore Training camp of juniors halted

KARACHI: The training camp for the probables of Pakistan junior hockey team at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore was on Wednesday suspended, five days before the schedule owing to the security measures put in place for the Twenty20 International series between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The National Hockey Stadium is situated in the vicinity of Qadaffi Stadium and for security reasons, the area has been declared sensitive and the movement of people around the stadiums has been restricted, junior hockey team head coach Danish Kaleem told ‘The News’ on Wednesday. The training camp consists of 60 probables.

The T20I series will start from Friday (tomorrow).

Danish said that the junior team management would request the PHF to resume the camp from January 28-29. “After resumption, the camp would continue for one week,” he said.

The junior team will participate in the Junior Asia Cup 2020 to be held in Bangladesh in June.

The senior team’s training camp for the preparation of Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup in Malaysia would also be held in Lahore in February.

It is also learnt that the players who shine in the Junior Asia Cup will be considered for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. “The inclusion of talented junior players in the senior team will allow them to gain exposure of international tournaments which will help in further honing their skills in the long run,” a source said.

It is pertinent to mention that seven junior players are already part of the senior team since its participation in the Olympic qualifying round in Netherlands two months back.