PESHAWAR: A 20-member tentative hockey team for the London Olympics was announced on Sunday by Chairman Selection Committee Hanif Khan with the choice of Akhter Rasool as the Chief Coach .

The committee decided to drop two players.

President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Qasim Zia, Secretary PHF Asif Bajwa were also present during the trial. Sohail Abbas was named as captain while Waqas Sahreef as Vice Captain.

Final probables for the team were goal-keepers, Imran Shah and Imran Butt, Full backs, Muhammad Irfan, Suhail Abbas, Kashif Shah and Muhammad Imran. Half-Backs are Rizwan Junior, Fareed Ahmed, Rashid Mehmood, Touseeq and Waseem Aahmed. The forwards consisted of Muhammad Waqas Shareef, Umer Boota, Shakeel Abbasi, Husseen Khan, Muhammad Zubair, Rizwan Senior, Shafqat Rasool, Rehan Butt and Ali Shan.

Hanif Khan said that team is selected after consultation with team captain, coach and selectors as there was tough competition among players and final squad of 16 players to be named after 10-day practice session to be held at Abbottabad.

President PHF Zia was very much optimistic about the team's performance at forthcoming London Olympics and said that when he took over charge of PHF, he made target of Asian Games and also Olympic where in Asian Pakistan did well and positively in London Olympic, result will be surprising and up to their expectations as in last Olympics Pakistan stood at 7th place but this time it will be in top four.

Zia said that currently this is and best available lot in Pakistan which they got after long term planning and majority of the players are young and these all come through academies which are effectively working.

He pointed out that among the current lot, majority of the players are 22 to 25 years and he hoped that future is our and nation will once again see our glories of the past.