KARACHI • Pakistan sacked five senior players from its Asian Games hockey squad after they skipped a training camp to stay with their clubs and warned them they might never play for their country again.
Captain Mohammad Saqlain, half back Dilawar Hussain, penalty corner expert Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Waseem and Ghazanfar Ali were not put up for selection after missing the camp, Pakistan Hockey Federation President Zafarullah Jamali said.
“Senior players went abroad to play league hockey and they had the option to return but they didn’t, so we will never consider them in future, at least as long as I am the hockey chief,” Jamali told reporters.
Saqlain and Hussain are playing league in Bangladesh, Abbas and Waseem were in the Netherlands, and Ghazanfar Ali was in Germany.
Mercurial forward Rehan Butt (pictured right) will lead the side in the Games to be held from 1 to 15 December in Doha, Qatar.
Pakistan, three times Olympic and four times world champions, have recently seen a slump in field hockey, losing their titles and finishing fourth in the last Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea in 2002.
They won the last of their record seven Asian titles in Beijing in 1990.
Abbas, who holds the world record of 286 goals in international hockey, and Waseem came out of retirement to play in Pakistan’s World Cup team in Germany two months ago.
But even his presence failed to inspire the green shirts who finished a disappointing sixth.
Back in the 16-man squad is right-in Tariq Aziz who served a six-month ban for hitting an Australian player during the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.
Butt put on a brave face, saying he hoped his new-look team would reach the final.
“We will not miss senior players and this team has the capability to reach the final. South Korea will be the toughest opponents,” he said.
South Korea, currently Asia’s best team, finished fourth in the World Cup 2006.
Pakistan will also face tough opposition from arch-rivals India, emerging power Japan, and Malaysia, who defeated them in the third-fourth play-off four years ago.
Former Olympian Shahnaz Shaikh is the coach of the team.
Squad: Salman Akbar, Nasir Ahmad, Imran Warsi, Ehsanullah, Zeeshan Ashraf, Imran Khan, Adnan Maqsood, Sajjad Anwar, Mohammad Imran, Rehan Butt, Rashid Imran, Shakil Abbasi, Tariq Aziz, Mohammad Zubair, Waqas Sharif, Mudassar Khan.
Thailand impress
Thailand showed just why it will be among the leading contenders for rugby sevens medals at the 15th Doha Asian Games with a second victory in the space of a week, this time at the 59th Singapore Cricket Club International Sevens in Singapore.
Comprising players hoping to represent their country at the Games, the Thailand Barbarians emerged 14-10 winners of an all-Asian Bowl competition final with Japanese debutants Tamariva RFC on Sunday.
This victory — in the competition involving teams who finished 3rd and 4th in their respective pools — comes only a week after the Thailand Rugby Union President 7s won the Plate competition at the Bangkok International Rugby Sevens. The two tournaments form part of a two-month programme designed to select the best players in Thailand, and boost its hopes of bettering the bronze medals won at the last two Asian Games.
However some of Thailand’s rivals in Doha also enjoyed strong events, with Japan and Hong Kong, China — represented by Japan Samurais and Hong Kong Dragons respectively — finishing in the top two in their pools to battle it out for the Ablitt Cup.
Japan Samurais came up against defending champions Davetalevu of Fiji in their first match and narrowly lost 15-12, but there was better news for the Hong Kong Dragons who overcame Cobra and British Army Germany to reach the semi-finals.
Hopes of silverware ended though, again at the hands of Davetalevu, with the Fijian side running out 27-7 winners over the Dragons.
