LAHORE: Newly-appointed Pakistan hockey chief selector Manzoor Hussain Jr has set targets of preparing a healthy pool of players for Pakistan for 2022 Asian Games and 2024 Olympics.

Talking to media in Lahore soon after the PHF unveiled a new selection committee in Karachi during its congress meeting on Tuesday, Manzoor, who is also a former national captain, said: “I have always accepted challenges in my life and this is another which is probably the biggest after having retired 35 years ago [in 1984] after winning Pakistan’s last Olympic gold

“My prime targets are to prepare a best competitive backlog of players for [2022] Asian Games and [2024] Olympics. I ensure all that there will be no selection [of players] through WhatsApp messages and every single individual will have to merit selection.

When asked why he chose to the PHF aftert being head of a group of Olympians who were critical of the set up headed by incumbent president retired Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, Manzoor said he consulted the group before opting to joini the PHF.

“We have a core committee in our group which unanimously decided we all have to serve hockey because we can’t keep on fighting against everyone. Our fight was against those who have detracked from hockey and our agenda is only to bring the sport back on track in a clean environment,” he said. “[PHF secretary] Asif Bajwa convinced me to come forward to serve hockey, which has nothing credible in its account so I decided to join at a critical juncture.”

“I joined the PHF at a critical time when Pakistan are languishing in 17th place in the FIH rankings but I will do level best to lift the team,” he added before saying: “I will start search for talent throughout the country just like I had done as head of the junior selection body.”

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2019