Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Wednesday announced the national hockey team for the Pro Hockey League and the World Cup qualifying round, with two changes made to the Pro League squad.
The 20-member squad, accompanied by six officials, will depart for Australia on February 2, PHF Secretary Rana Mujahid said while announcing the team at the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium alongside head coach Tahir Zaman.
Rana Mujahid said the squad touring Australia would also represent Pakistan in the World Cup qualifiers, adding that Muhammad Imad Butt would lead the Green Shirts.
He informed that the issue of players’ outstanding dues had been taken up with the government and all pending payments would be cleared by Friday.
According to PHF, goalkeeper Ali Raza has replaced Abdullah Ishtiaq, while Umair Sattar has been included in place of Manan Raza in the Pro League squad.
The selected players include Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Ali Raza, Arshad Liaqat, Muhammad Abdullah, Sufyan Khan, Arbaz Ahmed, Hamad Anjum, Moeed Shakeel, Ghazanfar Ali, Zakariya Liaqat, Umair Sattar, Hanan Shahid, Rana Waheed, Nadeem Ahmed, Abdul Rehman, Rana Waleed, Afraz and Abubakar.
The team officials are head coach Tahir Zaman, Muhammad Usman, Zeeshan Ashraf, Nadeem Lodhi, Muhammad Aslam and Adeel.
Head coach Tahir Zaman said facing strong sides like Australia and Germany would be a tough challenge, but the national team would play 16 matches before the World Cup, providing a valuable opportunity for preparation.
“After a long time, Pakistan are getting the chance to play against top teams, which will help the players gain quality match practice ahead of the World Cup,” he added.
Captain Imad Butt said the players’ morale was high and things were moving in a positive direction, expressing hope that the Prime Minister would continue to extend support to the national game.
As per the schedule, Pakistan will play Australia on February 10, Germany on February 11, Australia again on February 13 and Germany on February 14 in the second round of the Pro Hockey League. app