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.—