Too early to expect results from sr. hockey team: PHF

ISLAMABAD, July 24 (APP): Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF)
Monday said it is too early to expect good results from our national
team as it will take two to three years to get the national game
back on track.
Talking to APP, PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior said we are
currently focusing on the under-18 as the players are working very
hard to excel in the game. “The under-18 hockey players have shown
great fighting spirit in Australia’s national hockey championship
and defeated their top clubs.
“I am sure our hockey would regain their lost glory but we
have to give them time,” he added. Responding to a question, he said
some changes would also be made in the senior hockey team.
He said the as many as 60 senior probables would attend the
national training camp under new head coach Farhat Khan here at
Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium from July 25.
“The players would report to the camp on Monday and would
start training from Tuesday,” he said.
The players would be preparing for the 10th Asia Cup scheduled
to be held in Bangladesh from October 12 to 22. No goalkeeper is
included in this list as PHF has already announced a list of 10
goalkeepers, who will attend a separate two-week training camp in
Karachi.
Former Olympian goalkeeper Nasir Ahmed of Pakistan
International Airlines (PIA) will impart training to the
goalkeepers.
Probables for the camp include defenders: M. Irfan, M. Aleem
Bilal, Niwaz Ishfaq, Rashid Mahmood, Toseeq Arshad, M. Rizwan Jr.,
M. Atif Mushtaq, Tasawar Abbas, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Abu Bakar
Mahmood, Mubashir Ali, Asad Aziz, M. Faisal Qadir, Taimoor Malik,
Hassan Anwar, Qazi Asfand, Tazeem-ul-Hassan, M. Junaid Kamal, Saleem Nazim, Kashif Shah, Ali Hussain, Kashif Javed, Ali Hassan Faraz,
Sami Ullah, M. Zeeshan, M. Zubair, M. Ateeq and Sohail Manzoor.
Forwards comprise M. Irfan Jr., Umar Bhutta, Arslan Qadir, Ali
Shan, Ijaz Ahmad, M. Rizwan Senior, Abdul Haseem Khan, Azfar Yaqoob, M. Dilber, Rana Umair, Karim Khan, Shan Irshad, M. Bilal Qadir,
Shajeeh Ahmed, M. Atiq, Rana Suhail Riaz, Mohsin Sabir, Sami Ullah,
Saran Bin Qamar, Khizer Akhtar, Rizwan Ali, Kashif Ali, Ali Akber,
Umer Sarfaraz, Fahad Ullah, Fraz Dar, A. Jabbar, M. Naveed, Nohaiz
Malik, M. Sabir, Umar Hamdi and Faisal Rasheed.