KARACHI, May 16: Injured Pakistan striker, Atif Bashir, Thursday hinted he would hang his boots if not given a clean bill of health by the doctors.

The Olympian had fractured his collar bone at the Champions Trophy in Rotterdam last November. Initially he recovered, but again faced the same problem at the February-March World Cup in Kuala Lumpur.

“I have been advised one month rest by my doctor. I am waiting for the final word from him (doctor). If given a go-ahead, I will play hockey or simply quit,” Atif said from Bahawalpur.

The right-in, who has earned 129 caps in his seven-year career, was among the probables called up for the training camp in Lahore for tour to Spain from July 16 to 20 and Commonwealth Games in Manchester from July 25.

But the nagging injury forced the former captain, who made his international debut at Berlin Champions Trophy in 1995, to skip the camp and miss the trip to Spain and Manchester.

He said with his collar bone broken twice, he would be facing psychological pressure, and the injury would need special exercises even if he resumed training and started playing.

“There will be a lot of pressure and I will always be conscious even if I started playing again. I have broken my collar bone twice. God forbid, if the same thing happens for the third time, metal plates have to be planted to support the bone.

“Things will definitely be difficult and complicated for me even if I take the field after recovery. I have to wait before making a final decision,” Atif, who is a doctor by profession, said.

Atif, who had represented the country at Utrecht and Kuala Lumpur World Cups in 1998 and 2002 and five Champions Trophy editions, would be third Pakistan player to call it a day within ten months, if he was not recommended to play.

Earlier, goalkeeper Ahmad Alam abruptly ended his 10-year-long career after Pakistan’s drubbing at last August’s Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur, citing poor form as the reason.

Controversial striker, Shahbaz Ahmad, 36, was the second star to retire from international hockey last week.