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KARACHI: After being sidelined from international duties, seasoned forward Rehan Butt got back into contention for the 2012 London Olympics on the back of an impressive show in the National Championship.
The veteran star not only made the preliminary squad for the London event but was also rewarded with a Category A contract by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).
Butt, for whom the federation had set aside its rule of not selecting players over the age of 30 for the national championship, impressed the selectors by scoring 10 goals and helping his side Wapda qualify for the final of the event, which they lost to PIA.
“Yes, he has played well so he deserves a place in the squad,” chief selector Hanif Khan said.
The 32-year-old was neither a part of the national camp nor the team but was allowed to play in the national championship.
“But the federation made an exception for Rehan, citing that the selectors wanted to ascertain his form and fitness.”
The first training camp for the probables for the Olympics will be held at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore from 27th February to 15th March.
CATEGORY A: Sohail Abbas, Fareed Ahmed, Rashid Mahmood, Shakeel Abbasi , Waqas Sharif & Rehan Butt.
CATEGORY B: Imran Shah, Muhammad Irfan, Rizwan Senior, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shafqat Rasool.
CATEGORY C:Kashif Shah, M. Tousiq, Muhammad Zubair, Ali Shan, Rizwan Junior & Umar Bhutta.
JUNIORS: Mazhar Abbas, Kashif Javed, Tasawwar Abbas, Muhammad Irfan, Ammad Butt and Muhammad Suleman.
Preliminary Squad: Goalkeepers:Imran Butt, Imran Shah, Mazhar Abbas.
Full-backs:Sohail Abbas, Kashif Shah, Ihsan Ullah, Muhammad Irfan, Amir Shahzad.
Halfbacks: Rizwan Junior, Fareed Ahmad, Rashid Mehmood, M. Tousiq, Kashif Javed, Tasawwar Abbas & Ammad Butt.
Forwards: Waqas Sharif, Shakeel Abbasi, Abdul Haseem Khan, Muhammad Rizwan Senior, Muhammad Zubair, Ali Shan, Shafqat Rasool, Muhamamd Umar Bhutta, Shabbir Khan, Muhammad Irfan Junior, Muhammad Suleman, Rehan Butt.
