India, S.Korea become joint hockey champions

IPOH, Malaysia: India and South Korea were named joint champions of the 19th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Sunday after the final was abandoned because of heavy rain in northern Malaysia.

The decider in Ipoh was only in its 12th minute when the match was suspended because of the heavy downpour and after waiting an hour organisers cancelled the match, declaring both teams the winner.

Officials say it is the first time in the history of the tournament that a final had to be called off, with both teams also going down as the first joint champions of the tournament.

For defending champions India it is their fifth Sultan title, matching Australia, while for Asian Champions South Korea it will be their second title after winning the cup before in 1996.

“It is the decision of the organisers and we respect that. Anyway the rain was not about to stop and in the end that may well be the right decision,” said India’’s assistant coach Harender Singh.

South Korea’’s penalty corner flicker Nam Hyun-Woo was the top scorer overall with nine goals, while India’’s Sardar Singh was named player of the tournament.

In the play-off for third place, world champions Australia defeated Malaysia 5-3.

Pakistan clinched fifth place after defeating China 6-5 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time.

Azlan Shah: Pakistan take 5th position

IPOH: Pakistan clinch fifth position in the Azlan Shah Hockey cup in Ipoh city of Malaysia after beating China 6-5.

Pakistan and China managed to score a goal each in the allotted 70 minutes. Both the teams scored five goals each in the penalty shoot out.

However it was pakistan who eventually knocked out the opponents in the sudden death round by taking a lead of 6-5.

Australia will take on Malaysia for the third spot match while India and South Korea will meet in the final of the tournament.

Hockey coach quietly confident of new-look team

KARACHI: The new-look Pakistan hockey team is all set to face the seven-team challenge in the forthcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, scheduled to be played from May 6-16 in Ipoh, Malaysia.

Although the chief coach and team captain have already asked the nation not to expect miracles from them right away, one cannot help associating renewed hopes from the new-look side. With a new team management, a new captain, new goalkeepers and several fresh recruits in the side, the fans as well as the critics are expecting some kind of a positive outcome from the squad.

As it is, the team can only improve from the rock bottom 12th position attained in last month’s World Cup in New Delhi, which was easily the darkest hour of Pakistan hockey. “Yes, this is not the same team that failed so miserably in last month’s World Cup.

There has been a 70 per cent change in the side with the infusion of fresh blood but it will be unfair to expect much from the boys so soon,” said Chief Coach Khawaja Junaid while speaking to Dawn on Saturday. “Of course,” he added, “Like the rest of the six teams in the event, we are also going to enter the competition with a positive outlook.

We want to win gold, too, but there are the ground realities that prevent us from thinking big. Pakistan, after all, is still recovering from the World Cup fiasco. But having said that, I can also say that I feel confident of better performance from the young talent in the side,” he said.

Asked if there would still be a chance for the seniors, who have been left out for Azlan Shah, to make a comeback after the tournament, the chief coach who has been upgraded from the coaching assignment of the junior team said that it depended on how well the green shirts performed in the event. “If we manage to make a mark in the competition, then there will be a level of competence that the seniors will have to match in order to make a comeback,” he pointed out. “If they can do that, they are welcome back. Another positive side of that happening would be that we get to increase our pool of national team players,” he said. “And if nothing else, the experience of Azlan Shah would increase the boys’ confidence level as the exposure while playing with the big teams will be good for them,” he added.

About his new captain, fullback Mohammad Imran, coach Junaid said he was perfectly capable of leading the Pakistan side in the event. “Imran is a very confident and capable young man. He is a brilliant fullback and penalty-corner specialist as well. I’m sure he won’t let the team miss Sohail Abbas in Malaysia.” The team leaves for Malaysia in the wee hours of Monday. Besides Pakistan and hosts Malaysia, the other teams taking part in the event are Australia, China, Egypt, Korea and India.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Imran Shah and Imran Butt.
Fullbacks: Mohammad Imran (captain), Aamir Shahzad and Kashif Ali.
Halfbacks: Mohammad Irfan, Fareed Ahmed, Mohammad Rasheed, Zeeshan Ali and Mohammad Tauseeq.
Forwards: Waqas Sharif (vice captain), Shafqat Rasool, Abdul Haseem Khan, Mohammad Zubair, Mohammad Rizwan, Abdul Qayyum Dogar, Kashif Ali and Umar Bhutta.
Officials: Khawaja Junaid (chief coach), Ajmal Khan Lodhi (coach), Ahmad Alam (assistant coach), Faiz-ur-Rehman (physio) and Nadeem Khan Lodhi (video analyst).

PHF axe World Cup flops for Malaysia hockey contest

KARACHI: Pakistan Wednesday dropped seven senior players responsible for an abysmal World Cup hockey campaign, hoping to regain the glory from scratch with next month's tournament in Malaysia.
Pakistan, three-time Olympic gold medalists and four-time world champions, finished last in the India World Cup earlier this year in what was described as their lowest ebb.
Captain Zeeshan Ashraf, Akhtar Ali and Mohammad Waseem requested a rest while world record goal-scorer Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi were not selected.
Goalkeeper Salman Akbar, also played in World Cup, did not attend the trials.
Chief selector Hanif Khan said three senior players requested rest, while others were rested by the selection committee as they had failed to impress in the trials in Karachi on Wednesday.
“We have rested senior players Abbas, Butt and Abbasi as they looked mentally stressed in the trials, so we have selected new players in a hope that it starts a new beginning for Pakistan hockey,” Khan told reporters.
Abbas, tipped to lead the side for the Malaysia event, is the only man to score over 300 goals in the history of international hockey.
The 18-man team will be led by 30-year-old full-back Mohammad Imran. Pakistan will feature in the 6-16 May Azlan Shah tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.
The other competing teams are world champions Australia, Asian champions South Korea, hosts Malaysia, India, China and Egypt.
Khan hoped untested players would usher in a new era in Pakistan hockey.
“We have the Commonwealth Games in India and then the Asian Games later in the year, so we hope that this new team settles soon. Don't expect medals from this team soon but, once it settles, it will win laurels,” said Khan.
Pakistan will also have a new coach in Khawaja Junaid after Shahid Ali Khan was sacked last month.
Team: Mohammad Imran (captain), Imran Shah, Imran Butt, Aamir Shahzad, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Fareed Ahmed, Mohammad Rashid, Zeeshan Ali, Mohammad Tauseeq, Waqas Sharif, Shafqat Rasool, Abdul Haseem Khan, Mohammad Zubair, Mohammad Rizwan, Andul Qayyum, Kashif Ali, Umar Bhutta.—

Wasim, Akhtar pull out of Azlan Shan

by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: The training camp of Pakistan’s hockey team for the upcoming Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament hasn’t started as yet but chaos has started to take grip as after skipper Zeeshan Ashraf withdrew his name from the tournament, two more senior players have pulled out of the tournament.

Sources in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) told The Sports Encounter Tuesday that Wasim Ahmed and Akhtar Ali have requested the PHF not to consider their names for the selection as they want to take rest.

The hockey camp is starting from April 22 in Karachi. The positive news came a couple of days earlier when Zeeshan Ashraf came out of his retirement but at the same time he pulled out of the Azlan Shah tournament, after which, former captain Wasim Akhtar and Akhtar Ali also followed the suit.

Sources told TSE that two more senior players, former captain Rehan Butt and penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas have also been told by the PHF top authorities to take rest, following which, their inclusion in the Azlan Shah team is highly unlikely.

PHF names 33 probables for Azlan Shah Cup camp

by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) newly installed selection headed by Olympian Hanif Khan Sunday named 33 probables to attend a short a training camp ahead of next months Azlan Shah Cup staged in Ipoh (Malaysia).

Except for goalkeeper Salman Akbar, all the players of Pakistan team which finished at the bottom in 12-nation competition in the World Cup held in New Delhi has been called to the training camp.

The training camp will commence at Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium from April 22 and Azlan Shah Cup begins in Malaysia from May 7.

Camp probables were named by selection committee chief Hanif Khan. Other members of the committee Olympian Muhammad Usman, Mussidiq Hussain and Muhammad Arshad Chaudhry were also present on the occasion.

Hanif Khan said team was picked on the basis of performances in the National championship.

Former Olympic half-back Khawaja Junaid has been named as manager cum chief coach of the Pakistan team in place of sacked Olympian Shahid Ali Khan.

The list of probables include goal keepers: Nasir Ahmed, Imran Shah, Imran Butt; full backs: Zeeshan Ashraf, Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Imran, Wasif Siddiqui, Kashif Ali, Muhammad Ateeq; half-backs: Waseem Ahmed, Muhammad Irfan, Fareed Ahmed, M Rashid, Sajjad Anwar, M Tauseeq, Aamir Shehzad, Usman Tariq, Zaheer Ahmed, Zeeshan Ali; forwards: Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Akhtar Ali, M Zubair, Haseem Khan, M Rizwan, Umer Bhutta, Waqas Sharif, Shafqat Rasool, M Bilal, Aqeel Hussain, Shehbaz Ali, Kashif Ali, and Abdul Qayyum.

Commenting on the list of probables, Secretary PHF, Asif Bajwa appreciated Selection Committee headed by Hanif Khan saying, “It is difficult to take a decision to select a player who has never have participated in the senior camp before. I see some players in the probables list who never appeared in the camp before so it shows that they (Selection Committee) have watched and observed National Hockey Championship closely to select these players”.

He was talking to The Financial Daily at Hockey Club of Pakistan here Sudnay.

“It is the prerogative of the selection committee to retain experienced players or not and since they have retained World Cup players so it is their decision. They have done what they thought better for the team,” Bajwa said.

He said that the format of the National Hockey Championship was excellent as it gives maximum exposure to all of the teams.

“Each team played nine matches during the tournament which gave them experience. In other formats a team would play three or four matches and would find a place in the final. So this format gives them more matches to play and therefore it is beneficial for the players,” Asif said.

He further said that Azlan Shah Cup, starting 6th May in Ipoh, Malaysia would give the team chance to point their weaknesses out ahead of Asian Games, to be held from 27th November in Guangzhou, China