Eleven more players join training camp in Karachi

KARACHI: Eleven more players have joined the training camp at the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium Karachi which has been set up to prepare for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

These 11 players were selected for the camp by the national selection committee led by Olympian Kaleemullah during the All Pakistan Chief Minister Baluchistan Hockey Gold Cup, a training camp official told The News on Monday.

He said that Kaleemullah along with Olympians Nasir Ali and Rahim Khan and international Laeeq Lashari selected these players on the basis of their performance during the event in Quetta and later open trials.

The players are goalkeeper Abdul Rafay (Sindh), fullback Saad Shafiq (Punjab), Mansoor Ahmed Khan (Balochistan), half back Muhammad Baqir (Punjab), Muhammad Ahmed (Punjab), Farooq Gibran Hamza (KPK), Abdul Nafay (Baluchistan), Muhammad Arsal (Punjab), Abdul Qayyum (Punjab), Abdul Wahab (Sindh) and Shahbaz Haider (Sindh).

It is pertinent to mention here that nine senior players called for the camp did not join, instead preferring to play leagues abroad. The PHF has taken serious notice of their absence and started disciplinary proceedings against them.

The Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup will be played in Ipoh, Malaysia, from November 1 to 10. Six teams are participating in the event: Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, South Africa and Canada.