Pakistan names five uncapped player for Hamburg Masters Hockey
Karachi, Sep 12 (IANS) Pakistan Friday named five uncapped players in its squad for a four-nation hockey tournament to be played in Germany early next month.
Mercurial striker Shakeel Abbasi was named as the new Pakistan captain of the 18-man squad by an interim selection committee. Pakistan will clash against Olympic champions Germany, Belgium and Malaysia in the Hamburg Masters from October 3-5.
Abbasi, who made his debut for the senior team in 2003 and was named the world's most promising player in 2004, takes over from veteran defender Zeeshan Ashraf, who was overlooked for the Hamburg assignment. Zeeshan led Pakistan to a disappointing eight position finish in the Olympic Games in Beijing last month.
'It's the youngest Pakistan senior team I've seen and I'm very confident that it will give a good fight in the Hamburg tournament,' said the team's head coach Jahangir Butt, a former Olympian.
The team was selected after one-day trials held here at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium. Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Zafarullah Khan Jamli, a former Pakistan Prime Minister, secretary Asif Bajwa and Jahangir Butt formed the selection committee that picked the Hamburg-bound squad.
Pakistan Squad: Nasir Ahmed, Imran Shah (goalkeepers), Kashif Ali, Muhammad Ateeq, Muhammad Imran (vice-captain) (defenders), Muhammad Irfan, Rana Asif, Amir Shahzad, Fareed Ahmed, Zaheer Ahmed (midfielders), Waqas Sharif, Shakeel Abbasi (captain), Haseem Khan, Shafqat Rasool, Akhtar Ali, Muhammad Taufeeq, Inayatullah and Muhammad Zubair.
