Too early to expect results from hockey team: PHF

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Monday said it is too early to expect good results from the national team as it will take two to three years to get the national game back on track.

Talking to APP, PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior said the management is currently focusing on the under-18 as the players are working very hard to excel in the game.

"The under-18 hockey players have shown great fighting spirit in Australia's national hockey championship and defeated their top clubs.

"I am sure our hockey would regain their lost glory but we have to give them time," he added.

Responding to a question, he said some changes would also be made in the senior hockey team.

He said as many as 60 senior probables would attend the national training camp under new head coach Farhat Khan at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium from July 25. "The players would report to the camp on Monday and would start training from Tuesday," he said.

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The players would be preparing for the 10th Asia Cup scheduled to be held in Bangladesh from October 12 to 22. No goalkeeper is included in this list as the PHF has already announced 10 goalkeepers who will attend a separate two-week training camp in Karachi.

Former Olympian goalkeeper Nasir Ahmed of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will impart training to the goalkeepers.

Probables for the camp include defenders: M. Irfan, M. Aleem Bilal, Niwaz Ishfaq, Rashid Mahmood, Toseeq Arshad, M. Rizwan Jr., M. Atif Mushtaq, Tasawar Abbas, Ammad Shakeel Butt, Abu Bakar Mahmood, Mubashir Ali, Asad Aziz, M. Faisal Qadir, Taimoor Malik, Hassan Anwar, Qazi Asfand, Tazeem-ul-Hassan, M. Junaid Kamal, Saleem Nazim, Kashif Shah, Ali Hussain, Kashif Javed, Ali Hassan Faraz, Sami Ullah, M. Zeeshan, M. Zubair, M. Ateeq and Sohail Manzoor.

Forwards comprise M. Irfan Jr., Umar Bhutta, Arslan Qadir, AliShan, Ijaz Ahmad, M. Rizwan Senior, Abdul Haseem Khan, Azfar Yaqoob, M. Dilber, Rana Umair, Karim Khan, Shan Irshad, M. Bilal Qadir, Shajeeh Ahmed, M. Atiq, Rana Suhail Riaz, Mohsin Sabir, Sami Ullah, Saran Bin Qamar, Khizer Akhtar, Rizwan Ali, Kashif Ali, Ali Akber, Umer Sarfaraz, Fahad Ullah, Fraz Dar, A. Jabbar, M. Naveed, Nohaiz Malik, M. Sabir, Umar Hamdi and Faisal Rasheed.