KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced an 18-member team for the Asian Games — set to be held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 — making four changes in the line-up that finished at the bottom in the Champions Trophy at Breda in the recent past.

Faisal Qadir, Junaid Manzoor, Dilber and Ateeq Arshad have made it to the squad at the expense of Aleem Bilal, Azfar Yaqoob, Arsalan Qadir and Irfan Jr.

M. Rizwan Sr was retained as captain while Ammad Shakeel Butt will be his deputy.

The team was named by chief selector Islahuddin Siddiqui after the trials held at the Islahuddin-Dr M. A. Shah Hockey Stadium on Monday. Selectors Ayaz Mahmood and Qasim Khan were also present. Two other members of the selection committee Farhat Khan and Mussadiq were conspicuous by their absence.

The PHF camp office in the city has surplus staff but contrary to the past practice, Dawn was not informed about the trials.

The selection of left half Junaid Manzoor, who recently toured Canada with the Pakistan junior hockey team, has raised quite a few eyebrows.

The chief selector informed newsmen that this was his committee’s last assignment as the contract was up to the selection of Asian Games team.

Team: M.Rizwan Sr (captain), Imran Butt, Amjad Ali, M.Irfan Sr, Mubashir Ali, Faisal Qadir, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Touseeq Arshad, Rashid Mahmood, Tasawar Abbas, Abu Bakar, Ateeq Arshad Dilber, Umar Bhutta, Shafqat Rasool, Ali Shan, Junaid Manzoor, and Aijaz Ahmed.Hasan Sardar (manager), Roelant Oltmans (head coach), M.Saqlain and Rehan Butt (coaches).—AZ

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2018