KARACHI, April 22 A fortnight of training and coaching of the Pakistan hockey team in preparation for next month's Sultan Azlan Shah Cup commences at the Hockey Club of Pakistan (HCP) on Friday morning.

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) selection committee headed by Olympian Hanif Khan invited 33 probables to the camp at the end of which an 18-member national squad will be picked.

The newly-elevated junior team coach Khawaja Junaid will be supervising the national camp with assistance from former forward Mohammad Ajmal Khan and former Pakistan captain and goalkeeper Ahmed Alam.

“It's a new beginning and a big challenge for us and we are looking to revive the game after Pakistan finished at a disappointing 12th spot in the World Cup,” pointed out the chief coach soon after his arrival from Lahore. However, with three of the senior players allowed rest for the Azlan Shah assignment by the PHF President Qasim Zia, Junaid said that their absence has intensified the challenge for Pakistan in the championship.

Zeeshan Ashraf, Waseem Ahmad and Akhtar Ali submitted applications to the PHF on Thursday morning, stating that they had played too much hockey from last year and needed rest from Azlan Shah Cup to regain energy and form.

“PHF President Qasim Zia has given permission to former captain Zeeshan Ashraf, Waseem Ahmad and Akhtar Ali to take rest for the tournament being played in Ipoh, Malaysia, from May 6-16,” said a spokesman of the PHF on Thursday.

PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa has also discussed the matter with Chairman Selection Committee Hanif Khan and the PHF President Qasim Zia approved their applications on their recommendations.

“It would have been good to have the senior players in the list of probables and in the camp ahead of the tournament as the juniors would have learnt a lot from them but since they sincerely asked for a rest themselves then they have to be allowed to do so,” he said.

“I am in contact with almost all the 30 players who are expected to report by tonight. We would begin training from tomorrow,” he said.

Junaid, who has replaced Shahid Ali Khan, the former coach who was sacked after Pakistan's dismal performance in the World Cup, has been serving as the national junior team coach. The junior team under his command won three of the four major international events that it featured in last year.

“The Azlan Shah Cup was a big challenge for us and the absence of the three seniors has added to the challenge. But we will go all out to perform as a team in the event,” he added.

He further said that the tournament was a very important one as it would show where Pakistan really stands.

“It [Azlan Shah Cup] should rather be seen as a pre-Asian Games for us as all the top teams featuring in the Asian Games would be playing here as well,” he pointed out.

The coach said that although penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas's performance was not up to the mark in the World Cup but he expected him to do well in the coming event.

Khawaja Junaid added that Haseem Khan, too, was a very talented player and he would be trying to bring back Haseem's lost form in the Azlan Shah Cup.

“I don't say we are going to win this event but I would try for my team to play as a single unit throughout the tournament,” he stressed.

About the camp, Khawaja Junaid said that their main focus besides lifting players' morale will be to work on improving various areas of the game and skill.

He said that they planned having light stretching and training session in the mornings followed by video analysis to educate the players about their deficient areas. There will be more specialised training in the ground later on in the afternoon, too.—Agencies