LAHORE, 26 November 2004 — Pakistan’s midfielder Waseem Ahmed will captain the national hockey team in the prestigious Champions Trophy here next month, an official said yesterday.
“Waseem will lead Pakistan’s 18-man squad and we hope the team will do its best to win the trophy,” Pakistan Hockey Federation President Abdul Aziz Khan said as he announced the squad.
“This is a strong team and we hope that they bring the glory of hockey back to our country,” said Khan, an ex-army general.
The 27-year-old Waseem led Pakistan to a 4-2 win in the hockey series against archrivals India two months ago.
Pakistan face world champions Germany in their first match of the 26th edition of the trophy, which runs from Dec. 4-12.
Defending champions the Netherlands, Spain, New Zealand and India are the other teams taking part in the competition, which was started by Pakistan in 1978.
Olympic champions Australia, the only side to have played in all 25 previous editions of the event, have pulled out over security fears in Pakistan.
India, who finished seventh at the Athens Olympics in August this year, took their place. “This is also a good chance for us to tell the world that Pakistan is a safe place to stage international events,” said Khan, whose federation suffered financially after the 2001 event was moved to the Netherlands for security reasons.
Pakistan last won a major field hockey title in 1994 at the World Cup in Sydney. The last of their three Champions Trophy titles also came in 1994, in Lahore.
Pakistan’s Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans said any of the teams could win the trophy.
“Every match is like the final because the Champions Trophy is the toughest event in the sport,” said Oltmans, whose year-long contract expires after the tournament.
Pakistan’s trump card will be penalty corner expert Sohail Abbas, who recently became the highest international scorer in field hockey history with 268 goals. Center-half Mohammad Saqlain returns to the side after missing this year’s Athens Olympics and the series against India on disciplinary grounds.
Squad: Salman Akbar and Nasir Ahmed (goalkeepers), Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Imran, Zeeshan Ashraf (fullbacks), Mohammad Waseem, Ghazanfar Ali, Adnan Maqsood, Mohammad Saqlain, Dilawar Hussain (midfielders), Rehan Butt, Mudassar Ali, Kashif Jawwad, Tariq Aziz, Shabbir Hussain, Adnan Zakir, Shakil Abbasi, Akhtar Ali (forwards), Roelant Oltmans (coach), Samiullah Khan (manager).
