LAHORE, July 25: A 12-member squad for upcoming second Commonwealth volleyball championship and the second-leg of Pakistan-India volleyball Test series (away home) was announced on Wednesday.

According to the Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF), only one change has been made in the squad which had participated in the second Asian Central Zone Championship in Islamabad in June. Sayyad Khan has been included in place of Mohammad Farooq, who is facing fitness problems.

The team departs for India on Thursday where Pakistan will feature in the Commonwealth event to be held in Kolkata from July 29 to Aug 4. Other eight countries participating in the event are defending champions Canada, Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, Bangladesh and India.

Pakistan along with the defending champions, New Zealand and South Africa are placed in Group B.

Pakistani will take on New Zealand on July 30, Canada on July 31 and South Africa on

Aug 1.

Two top teams from each group will qualify for semi-finals, which will be played on Aug 3 and the final on Aug 4.

After the tournament, Pakistan and India will see each other in the second leg of first-ever eight matches series, commencing from Aug 7 at Vishakapatnum.

The first leg of four matches had been ended 2-2 in Pakistan in June.

The next match will be played in Hyderabad on Aug 10, third in Roimbatoue on Aug 12 and the fourth in Chennai on Aug 14.

Squad:

Mohammad Zaman Butt (captain), Irfan Nawaz, M. Tariq Wasim, Kashif Mansoor, Mohib Rasool, Naseer Ahmad, Ali Abbas, Mohammad Farooq Khan, Bakhat Rasal, Shah Faisal, Sanaullah, Mohammad Ismail Khan.

Officials:

Zafar Abbas (chef de mission), Sardar Mohammad Khan (assistant manager), Stefan G. Dimitrov (chief coach), Mohammad Akram Chaudhry (assistant coach), Syed Najam Hussain (international referee), Mohammad Afzal (control committee member).