KARACHI: Two-day trials to select Pakistan hockey team for the upcoming tours of South Korea and Champions Trophy gets into action at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium on Wednesday at 3.00pm, chief coach former Olympian Shahnaz Shaikh said on Monday.

The national selection committee headed by veteran Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui will pick the team for the twin tours. Other members of committee are Chaudhry Arshad, Ayaz Mahmood, Khalid Bashir and Mussadiq Hussain.

According to Shahnaz, secretary of the PHF Rana Mujahid is also due to arrive here from Lahore on Wednesday.

Pakistan team will undertake a short tour of South Korea from Nov 20 to 28 to play couple of Test against their counterparts. The team will fly to Seoul on Nov 19.

The Incheon Asian Games silver medalists face their litmus test when they compete in the Champions’ Trophy slated in Bhubaneswar, India, from Dec 6 to 14. The team leaves for the Indian city on Dec 2.

With the exception of half-back Faisal Qadir, all other probables will appear in the trials on Wednesday, Shahnaz told Dawn when asked about fitness of camp trainees. Faisal has left the camp following hairline fracture while two players were given rest due to minor problems but will make up for the trials, he added.

The coach said a couple of players who have not yet reported due to their engagements in foreign leagues, are expected to join the camp by Monday night or Tuesday. Two additional players – Sibtain (Karachi) and Ateeq (NBP) – were added to the list of 38 probables who were invited by the PHF for the camp.

Meanwhile, Shahnaz has called upon the Sindh government to honour the national team for winning silver medal at the Asian Games in South Korean.

Terming it deplorable he said:”It’s the team of Pakistan and not Punjab that deserves a pat on their back by all the provinces”.

Probables:

Goal-keepers: Imran Butt, Amjad Ali, Mazhar Abbas and Mohammad Talal Khalid.

Backs: Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan, Syed Kashid Shah, Atif Mushtaq, Mubashir Ali, Zahidullah and Ateeq.

Halves: Ammad Shakeel Butt, Mohammad Rizwan junior, Faizan, Abu Bakar, Mohammad Tousiq, Zohaib Ashraf, Qasim, Faisal Qadir (injured), Tassawur Abbas, Rashid Mahmood and Sibtain.

Forwards: Mohammad Arsalan Qadir, Rana Mujahid Umair, Mohammad Salman Hussain, Mohammad Waqas, Shafqat Rasool, Mohammad Umer Bhutta, Shan Irshad, Mohammad Dilber, Asad Bashir, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Rizwan senior, Rizwan Ali, Mohammad Azfar Yaqoob, Ali Shan, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammad Atiq, Nohaiz Zahid Malik and Naveed.

Published in Dawn, November 11th , 2014