Probables for National Jr camp also announced: Danish named national jr hockey team’s head coach

LAHORE: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Thursday named Danish Kaleem as national jumior team’s head coach.While addressing a press conference here Thursday PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa also announced the junior team management. He was accompanied by Chairman Selection Committee Manzoor Hussain Junior.

While Danish will be head coach of jr team former captain Mohammad Imran, Mudassar Ali Khan and Rana Zaheer Babar are other members of the managementBajwa added PHF has planned to hold the camp training of the national junior team at Lahore’s National Hockey Stadium.

“We held a junior championship, giving talented players at junior level a chance to showcase their skills and advance to higher level. Players participating in the National Junior Hockey Championship will be given a chance at the international level. Junior players were not given proper opportunities in the past,” he maintained.

On the FIH ranking system, Bajwa said: “It is tempting to get points based on the performances of matches. Pakistan hockey will play more than 40 matches this year to improve the ranking points. I promise that this year hockey team ranking will improve.”

He said that PHF is expanding its events of activities at domestic level. ‘We plan to hold junior and senior hockey tournaments, and Pakistan Hockey League will also be in place this year,” he stressed.

Meanwhile PHF also released a list of 55 players selected for the training camp during the national junior championship for a training camp.The two week training camp of the junior probable will start from January 12 at National Hockey Stadium.

Camp trainees are: Goalkeepers: Waqar Younas, Abdullah Ishtiaq, Abdul Rehman, Ali Raza, Ahmed, Sheikh Abdullah. Full- backs: M Yasir, Waqas Butt, Zohaib Sarwar, Sulman Butt, Arbaz, Bilal Raza, Sami Ullah Khan, Sufyia, Rehan Butt, Haris Naseer, Usman Bashir, M Usman.

Half-backs: Danish Shah, Mehran Ahmad, Mehran Rasool, M Usama, Aqeel Ahmed, Abdul Basit, Moin Shakeel, Rizwan Ali, Ghazanfar Ali, Ataullah, Asif Hanif, Omar Bilal.

Forwards: Roman Khan, Rana Waheed, Hammad Anjum, A Wahab, Ali Hamza, Hanan Shahid, Amir Sohail, Basharat Ali, Arshad Liaqat, Afraz, Waqar Ali, Shuhaib Khan, Mohsin, Shahbaz, Rana Waleed, Ihsan Elahi, Zain Ejaz, Ali Aziz, Hassan Saleem, Hammad Ayaz, Arbaz Ayaz, Adeel Lateef, Bilawal, Murtaza Yaqoob, Fahad.