KARACHI, Sept 20: Pakistan Friday announced an 18-member junior hockey squad for the six-nation tournament in Egypt in the absence of the chief selector and a selection committee member.

The squad will participate in the Akhbar Al-Youm international tournament to be hosted by Cairo starting from Oct 11.

Although the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Gen Aziz Khan watched the trials, neither the selector’s chief, Col S.K. Tressler nor Rasheed Junior (member), were present at the Pakistan Steel Mills Complex.

But Gen Aziz was not bothered by the non-availability of the chief selector and a member, saying “when some half a dozen people are here to watch the players, there is no need of their presence.

“That’s why we have so many people for the selection job so that if any selector is not available we can carry on the process,” he added.

Nevertheless, the team manager Col Abdul Rauf admitted the presence of all the selectors was not only necessary during the trials, but also at the training camp.

“I fully agree that selectors should be at the training camp. Their presence only at the trials does not make any sense. If they can’t come to the camp daily, the power to select the team should be given to the coach,” manager said.

Of the seven-member selection committee Islahuddin Siddiqi was the only selector who observed the players for four days during routine camp training before the team was announced.

Team manager Col Abdul Rauf, and coach Ayaz Mahmood, are the two of the seven selectors.

Col Tressler, Rasheed Jr, Brig Sajjad Khokhar, and co-opted member of the committee Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan, never came to the training camp which started from Sept 2.

However, the two brigadiers, who never judged the talent of the players during the camp, took part in deliberations on the selection of the team after the trials.

How much interest the national selectors take in the selection process was vindicated when they saw the first full 35-minute session with one of the side having no shirt numbers.

It was the second session when the hopefuls were ordered to wear bibs bearing numbers that enabled the selectors to judge the players and gave remarks.

Besides, it was disheartening to see the youngsters sitting under the blazing sun during the four sessions and even after the trials which concluded after two energy-sapping hours.

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