LAHORE: Awais-ur-Rehman, the hero of Pakistan’s victory in the last South Asian Games hockey final, has been overlooked as the national selection committee announced a 20-member senior squad to play a three-match series against national junior team, before embarking for the Azlan Shah Cup tournament to be held next month in Ipoh, Malaysia.

From the 20 member squad, two players will be axed at the conclusion of the series against the junior side as 18-member squad will go to Ipoh.

The series is starting from the opener in Sargodha on March 29, second in Khushab on March 30 and the last one in Lahore on March 31.

Squad:

Imran Butt, Mazhar Abbas, Kashif Shah, Aleem Bilal, M. Irfan (captain), Rizwan Junior, Toseeq Arshad, Fareed Ahmad, Rashid Mahmood, Tasawar Abbas, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Umar Bhutta, Irfan Junior, Arslan Qadir, Ali Shan, Rizwan Senior, Ijaz Ahmad, Rizwan Ali, Kashif Javaid, Abdul Karim Khan.

Standbys:

Amjad Ali, Asad Aziz, Taimoor Malik, M. Faisal Qadir, Fiaz Yaqoob and Niwaz Ashfaq.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2016