LAHORE Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Chief Selector Olympian Hasan Sardar expects the Pakistan hockey team to make a clean sweep both in the forthcoming European tour as well as the World Cup qualifiers later on.
Making this claim while announcing the 17-member squad for the European tour after having watched the two-day trials at the National Hockey Stadium here on Saturday, Hasan said that the team had been giving an improved performance after every competition and it was now in a position to make a clean sweep in the upcoming back-to-back assignments.
The national team is to tour France, Poland and Belgium from Sept 24 to play a Test series against each host, separately. This would be followed by the World Cup qualifiers in France from Oct 31 to Nov 8.
The European tour will have Pakistan playing three Test matches each against France and Belgium and two against Poland. To a question about penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas, the chief selector said that he had showed improved performance in the training camp and was thus retained in the team.
'Sohail Abbas is a world-class player. It was unlucky for him that he could not score goals in the Asia Cup but he is now in a much-improved form and is expected to play a vital role in the back-to-back series,' he said.
But Head Coach Shahid Ali Khan had expressed his concern over Sohail Abbas's weakened push before the start of the training camp.
Team Manager Asif Bajwa, who happens to be the PHF secretary, too, also came to support Sohail, saying that not only had the penalty-corner specialist improved on his conversion skills but he also looked quite fit for the game.
He said every player had to prove his fitness and form and he would not allow anyone to take things for granted.
Meanwhile, to a question about Mohammad Saqlain, Hasan Sardar said that he had been given full opportunity to improve on his fitness, which he failed to do and therefore got the axe.
Olympian Saqlain failed to find a place in the training camp as the PHF believes he is no longer super fit for the game. Saqlain, however, came out to criticise the PHF and challenged the federation to give him another chance to prove his fitness with the other seniors selected for the camp. But the PHF handed over his case to its disciplinary committee, headed by Shahid Pervaiz Bhandara, which although it had had finalised its findings, could not get time from the PHF Pesident Qasim Zia to present its report.
'We gave full opportunity to Saqlain and in the end offered him the option to announce his retirement, too. But as he has refused to announce his retirement, his fitness will be tested in the national events and if proved fit there, he will be given a chance to play, too. But it is very hard for anyone to make such an enormous improvement in this day and age,' he pointed out.
When asked about their having picked only one goalkeeper for the tour, he said that Nasir Ahmad was showing improvement so he was enough.
He also said that the tour team management would, however, have the power to call any of the four senior players, namely, Rehan Butt, Salman Akbar, Waseem Ahmad and Abbas Haider but only for the Belgium leg. All four are currently playing in the European league.
The services of the four seniors may be required as Belgium happens to be a somewhat stronger side.
Hasan also said that another trial would be held to select the final team for the World Cup qualifiers after the tour.
It may be mentioned here that the PHF president and secretary had decided to retain the same team, which would tour Europe for the qualifiers.
He said that Japan and France could be Pakistans strong rivals in the qualifiers.
'Japan are strong in giving defensive play, while France, being the hosts, will have some advantages so they can both be our strong rivals,' he said.
Team
Goalkeeper Nasir Ahmad.
Fullbacks Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Sohail Abbas, M. Imran.
Half-backs M. Irfan, Fareed Ahmad, Sajjad Anwar, Sibtain Raza, Zeeshan Ali, M. Rashid.
Forwards Waqas Sharif, Shafqat Rasool, Haseem Khan, M. Zubair, Akhtar Ali, Shakeel Abbasi, Tariq Aziz.
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