KARACHI: Some 70 players, mostly belonging to Sindh and Balochistan, featured separately in the Open trials held to select probables for Pakistan juniors and youth teams, at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium on Thursday.

“The selectors watched the players – 35 juniors and as many youth – in different sessions to identify probables for the two camps,” Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Rana Mujahid told reporters at the end of over four-hour trials.

He said the PHF has decided to hold another Open trial for players of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Lahore on May 26.

The selection committee, headed by former Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui and comprising Arshad Chaudhry, Ayaz Mahmood, Khalid Bashir and Mussadiq Hussain were in attendance and watched the players in action.

Answering questions, he said the juniors camp will be staged at HCP Stadium here whereas the venue for youth camp will be announced later. “They’ll be conditioning camp and build-up part for the forthcoming international assignments,” he added.

According to itinerary, Pakistan juniors first litmus test will come in Sultan Johar hockey tournament in Malaysia in the run up to 2016 junior hockey World Cup while the youth will compete in Asian Youth Games at China in August.

He added that former Olympians Manzoor-ul-Hasan and Tahir Zaman will head the juniors and youth team managements.

Asked about the senior team schedule, the secretary said “it was hectic – the Inchon Asian Games, the Champions Trophy and we’ve requested India, South Korea and Malaysia for bilateral series ahead of the two competitions”.

Pertaining to funds, the PHF secretary sounded confident that Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif will give his nod for the early release of Rs500 million which is required to meet the expenses. PHF has chalked out vision 20-20 and will yield positive results, he concluded.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2014