LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has made only one change, including Mussadiq Hussain in place of Farhat Khan, in the Islahuddin Siddiqi-led selection committee whose first assignment will be picking the national squad for the forthcoming Asian Champions Trophy The event will be held in Oman from Oct 18 to 28.

The training camp for the said event is already in progress in Lahore while no selection committee was functioning.

Talking to Dawn, Islah said as the previous selection committee had already announced that it would work till the end of the Asian Games held in Jakarta last month. Therefore, he continued, the decision to retain the same selectors was up to the PHF.

On Tuesday, Islah added, he received a go ahead signal from the PHF with only one change — that of Farhat — to be replaced with Mussadiq. The other two members of the selection committee are Ayaz Mahmood and Qasim Khan.

Islah said he admitted the responsibility for national team’s bad performance at the Jakarta Asian Games where the green-shirts failed to reach the podium for the first time at Asiad.

But, he added, as the PHF has reposed the confidence on his abilities, he would continue.

It may be mentioned here that Dutch head coach of Pakistan team Roelant Oltmans had resigned from the post, admitting his responsibility for Pakistan’s pathetic show in the Asian Games. According to recent media reports, Oltmans has joined Malaysian hockey team.

Earlier this year, Pakistan had miserably failed at the Commonwealth Games (staged on Gold Coast, Australia) and the Champions Trophy (Breda, Netherlands). And with the all-important World Cup, to be hosted by India in December, now coming up, the chances of green-shirts doing well at the showpiece look significantly bleak.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2018