The Pakistan national hockey team for the Pro Hockey League and World Cup qualifying rounds has been announced.
The squad comprises 20 players and 6 officials, and will be led by Captain Muhammad Imad Butt. The team is scheduled to depart for Australia on February 2.
The announcement was made in Islamabad by Pakistan Hockey Federation Secretary Rana Mujahid and head coach Tahir Zaman. They confirmed that the squad traveling to Australia would also represent Pakistan in the World Cup qualifiers.
The squad includes two changes from previous selections, with goalkeeper Abdullah Ishtiaq and Manan Raza replaced by Ali Raza and Umair Sattar. The full team consists of Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Ali Raza, Arshad Liaqat, Muhammad Abdullah, Sufyan Khan, Arbaz Ahmed, Hamad Anjum, Moeed Shakeel, Ghazanfar Ali, Zakriya Liaqat, Umair Sattar, Hanan Shahid, Rana Waheed, Nadeem Ahmed, Abdur Rehman, Rana Waleed, Afraz, and Abubakar.
Rana Mujahid stated that the issue of pending player dues has been raised with the government, and all outstanding payments will be cleared by Friday. Head coach Tahir Zaman noted that after a long time, Pakistan will get the opportunity to play against top-ranked teams.
Captain Muhammad Imad Butt said that the players’ morale is high and expressed hope that the Prime Minister will continue to support national sports.
According to the schedule, Pakistan will play in the second round of the Pro Hockey League with matches against Australia on February 10 and 13, and against Germany on February 11 and 14.
