PHF named 18-member squad for 2019 Men's FIH Pro League
Pakistan Hockey federation announced an 18-member squad to take part in the FIH Pro League after the conclusion of the two-day trials at National Hockey Stadium, Lahore.
Pakistan Hockey federation announced an 18-member squad to take part in the FIH Pro League after the conclusion of the two-day trials at National Hockey Stadium.
Ali Shan will be the captain of the side. Saeed Khan will be the head coach and manager of the team while Rehan Butt and Danish Kaleem are named coches.
SQUAD:
Waqar (Gk), Amjad Ali (Gk) Aleem Bilal, Mubashar Ali, Rizwan Ali, Amjad Ali, Abu Bakar Mahmood, Moin Shakeel, Azfar Yaqoob, Faisal Qadir, Atif Mushtaq, Ali Shan (C), Atiq Arshad, Rana Waheed, Ghazanfar Ali, Shan Irshad, Ali Aziz, Junaid Manzoor
STAND BY:
Adeel Latif, Salman Razaq, Rana Suhail, Saran Bin Qamar, Taimoor Malik, Sami Ullah, Ammad ud din, Akmal Hussian
The Green Shirts have been knocking on the door of success in recent years as they have begun to rediscover winning ways after decades in the wilderness. At the Asian Games in 2014 they took silver, and followed that with a third consecutive gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games. Third in the 2017 Asia Cup was followed by a gold medal at the 2018 Asia Champions Trophy. The sparks of a revival are there but the glory days of the 1970s and 80s still eludes them.
For Pakistan men, the FIH Pro League offers a chance for one of the countries with the richest hockey-playing traditions a chance to get back among the world leaders in the game.
Pakistan’s FIH Pro League campaign starts in Argentina on 2 February. The following day they play a return fixture against the reigning Olympic champions. They then cross the ocean to play Australia and New Zealand. For a team that is homeless, has a new Head Coach and a raft of new faces in its team, the FIH Pro League will present a huge challenge to the Green Shirts but it is a challenge they are ready to face as they seek to restore Pakistan’s reputation as a leader in international hockey.
