LAHORE, June 26: Pakistan hockey captain Mohammad Saqlain on Sunday said retired penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas should never be invited for any event in future.
“Sohail was a good player but since he does not want to join team again, he should not be considered in future. We can win without him,” he told reporters on Sunday.
Sohail refused to join the national training camp starting at Army Stadium, Rawalpindi from July 1 for back-to-back tournaments in Germany and the Netherlands in August.
Sohail, who called it a day along with captain Waseem Ahmad after Lahore’s Champions Trophy in December last, has turned down PHF’s offer for the third time. Sohail refused to join the camp, saying the PHF included his name in the list of 29 probables without consulting him.
“Sohail prefers playing league abroad, but his first priority should have been Pakistan,” Saqlain said.
He complained Pakistan hockey players were paid a meagre sum of Rs500 as daily allowance whereas in league hockey they earned huge amount.
Saqlain, who is famous for his violent temper and recently got a one-match suspension during Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur for hitting a South Korean, said although Sohail had a good record of scoring goals on penalty corners, but he had no worth as a defender.