LAHORE, Jan 10: A 20-member Pakistan team has been announced to take part in the SAFF Football Cup to be held at Dhaka, Bangladesh, from Jan 26 to Feb 5.

The team was picked by the Slovenian coach Joseph Herel after the probables in the training camp which is in progress at the Model Town ground. The training camp will be shifted from Lahore to Pakistan Steel Mills Karachi from Jan 12.

 The decision was taken by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) after the coaches of the camp Joseph Herel and Siddique Sheikh could not find teams in Lahore to provide practice matches to the national team.

Further more, Karachi and Dhaka have the similar weather condition. The team will depart for Bangladesh on Jan 22. Pakistan with India and Sri Lanka is placed in Group “A” and will play its opening match against India on Jan 26.

In Group “B” Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal are included.

Midfielder-cum-defender Haroon Yousaf was retained as captain while another midfielder Sarfraz Rasool was appointed his deputy.

Four stand byes are also announced.

Team: Jafar Khan, Zahid Taj (goalkeepers), Haroon Yousaf (captain), Tanvir Ahmed, Naseer Ahmad, Aamir Shahzad, Zahoor Ahmad (defenders), Sarfraz Rasool, Gohar Zaman, Zulifqar Ali Shah, Sajjad Husain, Lal Bukhsh (midfielders), Fareed Majeed, Mohammad Arshad,  Khuda Buksh, Qadeer Ahmad, Arif Mahmood,  Sameen Ibraheem, Shakir Taj, Ibrarullah (forwards).

Stand byes: Mohammad Riaz, Asadullah, Shahid Ahmad, Dilshad.