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KARACHI The Pakistan Hockey Federation selection committee members claim they were forced to overlook promising forward Adeel Hussain for Junior World Cup on the wish of team management.
Sources said the right-out had to be sidelined during short-listing on May 8 for the all-important event as selectors were helpless against the team management, which has been calling the shots.
'Chief selector Hassan Sardar, selectors (Mohammad) Shafiq and Farhat (Khan) put their weight behind Adeel, but they couldn't press for his inclusion in the list of 20. The three selectors said they tried their best to convince the team manager Khuwaja Junaid but he wanted Adeel to be ousted,' sources quoting selectors told Dawn.com.
The helplessness of the selectors paints a grim picture as Sardar is believed to be getting around Rs50,000, while Shafiq and Farhat Rs35,000 as monthly salary but are helpless against team officials.
Interestingly, Sardar has always been a vocal critic of existence of selection committee, while Shafiq and Farhat, have a history of indiscipline and violent behaviour during their careers as players and officials.
'If the selection committee also serves as think tank, then it is alright, otherwise if it is for only to select, then it should be abolished. If Europeans do not have selection committees, it is because they have professional coaches. The problem of selection committee is attached with the coach. If we will have a paid, professional coach, it will reduce the importance of the selection committee,' Sardar had said during an interview few years ago.
Pakistan junior and senior teams have now paid team managers and coaches apart from selection committee.
Adeel's ouster from the training camp for the Junior World Cup to be co-hosted by Malaysia and Singapore from June 7 to 21, is quite surprising.
The 20-year-old, who has 23 goals to his credit, and is the second most prolific scorer in the forward-line after centre-forward Haseem Khan. Adeel also has the honour of creating a record of scoring 13 goals in a match against Larkana at junior championship in Faisalabad in 2005.
Adeel has never been dropped from the squad since his debut 2006 when he toured Poland for six-nation tournament.
Interestingly, Hasan Akhtar is originally a centre-half and trained for that position during the camp. But during the trials he was fielded as right-out, while Adeel despite being a right-out, was played as left-in and left-out during the camp.
Selection of Mohammad Rashid and Mohammad Rizwan has made the role of selectors more questionable since Rashid has been unfit with a groin injury and Rizwan with a sprained ankle.
Another surprising decision is to send six junior players to play for senior side at Asia Cup. There is a huge possibility the group of six would suffer from a burn-out while playing at Junior World Cup.
Final trials for Junior World Cup squad will be held on May 22.
