KARACHI, March 1: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) continues to take mind-boggling, damaging steps as a player not even called up for the training camp was selected in the junior squad.

Initially, the PHF invited 46 probables for the training camp for the seven-nation Akhbar Al Youm tournament from March 6 to 16 in Cairo, Egypt. But surprisingly, Mohammad Moazzam, who was not named among the probables, was in the squad for the event.

Apart from Moazzam’s inclusion, the PHF has also selected Imran Warsi, Imran Khan and Adnan Zakir, for the Cairo event. But what is amazing is the fact the three were not selected for last year’s Akhbar Al Youm contest on team management’s demand.

The decision was taken since team manager Col Abdur Rauf was adamant to select only young players rather than having those who would become over-age before the 2005 Junior World Cup.

It is even more amazing why the three players have now been included in the junior squad, while they were not selected last year for the same competition.

There was another surprise when chief selector Akhtar Rasool on Feb 24 announced that senior camp probable goalkeeper Salman Akbar, would accompany the junior squad as their number one custodian.

Interestingly, Akhtar had categorically said the squad named for the Cairo tournament was an under-19 side. The trials were held in absence of the coach Ayaz Mahmood and two selectors — Hassan Sardar and Saeed Khan.

Ayaz, who recently quit as junior team coach, had also criticised the selection, saying the same outfit should have been sent to Cairo which contested Under-19 event in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year.

PHF, it seems, does not want precocious players to grow as there were some glaring omissions in the Cairo-bound squad.

For instance, fleet-footed and promising Abbas Haider, who showed lots of spark at the recently concluded 50th national championship here, has not been considered for the selection.

Instead of focussing on Junior World Cup and forming a permanent squad, PHF keeps on experimenting as Owais Khan, another member of Under-19 event squad, was sidelined for reasons better known to the selectors or the team management.

It was either a comedy of errors, PHF’s incompetence or lack of coordination and communication between the PHF and the team managements as PHF named at least five players — Shakeel Abbasi, Adnan Maqsood, Sumair Saleem, Yasir Islam, and Jawaid Iqbal, for the senior camp on Feb 4.

But on Feb 6 the five were among those who were asked to report for the junior camp. Shakeel, Adnan were eventually selected in the senior squad and will make their debut at March 22 to 31 Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.

There is nothing but chaos as the rudder-less, confused PHF has completely lost its direction due to its incompetence and nepotism owing to which it is taking such bewildering decisions.

Such steps will do nothing except compounding the miseries of the game in the country which is already suffering from dearth of talent at grassroots level because of PHF’s negligence.