ISLAMABAD, May 25: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Saturday announced national under-21 squad for the Europe tour as part of its efforts to provide maximum exposure to the young players before the Junior World Cup which takes place in India from Dec 5 to 16.

“Our team will tour Europe from June 1 to 16 to play matches against strong sides of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium,” national junior team’s manager and chief coach Rana Mujahid told a news briefing at the Pakistan Sports Complex.

Mohammad Umar Bhutta will lead the team while Syed Kashif Shah will be the vice-captain.

Speaking about the importance of the tour as a stepping stone to the Junior World Cup, Mujahid said: “The tour to Europe is a great opportunity for us. It will provide invaluable experience to our boys.”

Squad:Mohammad Umar Bhutta (captain), Syed Kashif Shah (vice-captain), Mazhar Abbas, Amin Yousuf, Mohammad Khalid, Mohammad Faisal Qadir, Mohammad Rizwan Junior, Mohammad Tousiq, Tasawar Abbas, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Mohammad Kashif Javed, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Dilber, Ali Shan, Mohammad Suleman, Mohammad Umair, Mohammad Rizwan, Hafiz Rizwan Ali.

Officials: Rana Mujahid (manager/chief coach), Anjum Saeed (coach), Danish Kaleem (coach), Asad Abbas (physician), Syed Abuzar Umrao (video analyst).—APP