Seniors to miss Asian Champions Trophy

Former captain Butt, Abbas not part of Pakistan’s hockey squad.

LAHORE:

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has omitted Rehan Butt, Sohail Abbas and goalkeeper Salman Akbar for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy in China.

The PHF named a 26-man squad for the training camp that takes place before a final 18-man squad is announced for the tournament.

“Abbas and Butt are not included in the list of camp trainees as the selection committee has advised them to rest temporarily,” said a PHF spokesperson. “For the preparation of the event, the training camp will be established at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium in Islamabad from August 10.”

Both players faced criticism for their inconsistent performances during Pakistan’s recent European tour, as Butt failed to score and Abbas is currently facing fitness concerns.

PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa denied accusations of discrimination between seniors and juniors, insisting that performances were the only deciding factor during selection.

Squad

Muhammad Imran, Shakeel Abbasi, Syed Kashif Shah, Imran Butt, Muhammad Rizwan Junior, Waseem Ahmed, Rashid Mehmood, Fareed Ahmed, Muhammad Tousiq, Muhammad Waqas, Muhammad Khalid, Muhammad Rizwan Senior, Muhammad Zubair, Muhammad Imran Junior, Abdul Haseem Khan, Imran Shah, Waqas Akbar, Muhammad Umar Bhutta, Muhammad Irfan, Shafqat Rasool, Kashif Javed, Ali Shan, Arslan Qadir, Muhammad Irfan Junior, Mazhar Abbas and
Bilal Qadir.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2011.