LAHORE, March 15: Goalkeeper Jaffar Khan has been retained as captain of 23-member Pakistan football team which will participate in the inaugural AFC Challenge Cup to be held in Bangladesh from April 1 to 16.
Striker Mohammad Essa was appointed as Jaffar’s deputy.
The team was selected after trials at Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad. PFF recalled Fulham Club (England) defender Zeshan Rehman, who is now playing for Norwich City.
Zeshan represented Pakistan in the South Asian Football Federation championship held in Karachi in last December, but missed the 14th Asian Cup’s qualifying round matches against Bangladesh, Jordan and United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan going for young blood have dropped goalkeeper Bilal Rafiq, defenders Ayaz, Faraz, Adeel Masih, Zeeshan, Misbahul Haq, Mohammad Ismail, Tanvirul Hasnain, Imran Aziz.
Bangladesh will hold the matches in two cities, Dhaka and Chittagong. In all, 16 countries are taking part. Pakistan is placed in group ‘D’ with Macau, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Team:
Goalkeepers: Jaffar Khan (captain, Army), Aqeel Ahmed (HBL), Nadeem Sattar (KESC).
Defenders: Mohammad Imran, Khalid Munir (Army), Zubair Moazzam, Mohammad Shahid, Naveed Akram (Wapda), Samar Ishaq (Panthers Club), Zeshan Rehman (Norwich City).
Midfielders: Abbas Ali, Farooq Shah, Abdul Aziz (NBP), Javed Hamza (KESC), Mohammad Wasim (KRL), Faheem Riaz (Army), Yasir Iqbal, Zeshan Aslam, Zahid Hameed (Wapda), Asif Ayub (KPT)
Strikers: Mohammad Essa (Afghan Club, Chaman), Imran Hussain, Naveed Khan (Army).
