LAHORE, Sept 12: Right-winger Shakeel Abbasi has been included in the Pakistan hockey team in place of unfit Sameer Hussain who has been sidelined due to groin injury.

Pakistan are scheduled to play this month’s Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

The Dutch physiotherapist Derek Verder, who joined the national training camp at the National Hockey Stadium on Thursday, advised Sameer two-week rest.

The team management decided to include Shakeel who toured Australia for two back-to-back four national tournaments in June, but was dropped from Champions Trophy squad.

Sameer had staged comeback into the squad after he was axed from last year’s World Cup squad. Sameer has been plagued by the same injury for nearly two years.

He also faced groin problem during the last month’s Champions Trophy in Amstelveen and was hardly utilised by the team management at the tournament.