November 07, 2006	Tuesday	Shawwal 14, 1427

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KARACHI, Nov 6: Rehan Butt, the newly-appointed Pakistan hockey captain, said on Monday that the five senior players would not be missed and they should never be taken back into the fold again.

“I would say if they (the five players) have chosen to play in foreign leagues it is their choice. But now they should not be considered as their return will only disturb the build-up of the team,” Rehan told Dawn at Hockey Club of Pakistan after the trials for Asian Games.

Mohammad Saqlain, Sohail Abbas, Waseem Ahmad, Ghazanfar Ali and Dilawar Hussain have opted to stay away from Asian Games to play in leagues abroad.

Rehan, one of key Pakistan players, said the five players made the right decision since they were at twilight of their careers.

“Considering their age, they have now past their prime. We have now the Asian Games but no major tournament in 2007. But then we have the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I am sure that anyone from that group of five can’t play by that time. So they better concentrate on their league careers,” the captain said.

For Rehan, Doha Games would be a perfect opportunity for his side to grab the title since he felt the team had the potential to fare well at the event considered the second biggest after Olympics.

“I believe we will play in the final. I see South Korea as the toughest rivals. I hope we will be able to deliver after debacle at World Cup.”

The captain said team had the best available stuff, saying the players had the ability to deliver.

“Though we don’t have five senior players but that won’t be a problem much. We have junior players who have recently played at the World Cup. So we will be having a mix of experience and youth.”

Rehan said although Sohail would not be in the squad, the team could rely on Mohammad Imran for penalty corner strikes.

“It is time that we should have young players and for that we must give opportunity to youngsters.”

The team will continue training until its departure for Doha along with the Pakistan contingent late this month.