KARACHI, 15 June 2005 — Pakistan decided against making any changes to their “winning combination” when they announced an unchanged 18-member Under-21 hockey squad for the 2005 Junior World Cup starting in the Dutch city of Rotterdam this summer.
Injured striker Shakeel Abbasi was retained as the team skipper even though he had to miss the national trials held to select the Pakistan squad at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore on Sunday. Abbasi, a prolific center-forward, suffered from a foot injury in the recently-concluded Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur and is expected to resume full-fledged training from next week. Fullback Mohammad Imran also missed the trials because of a broken finger but was retained in the national team on the basis of his excellent performance in recent months.
Pakistani selectors who met after the trials kept faith in the team that won back-to-back international junior titles in Lahore and Kuala Lumpur earlier this year. Seasoned winger Tariq Aziz was named Abbasi’s deputy in a squad that includes ten players who have an experience of playing for the national senior team.
The squad: Goalkeepers: Nasir Ahmed, M. Iqbal. Fullbacks: Mohammad Imran, Imran Warsi, M. Ikhlaq. Midfielders: Imran Khan, M. Khalid, M. Asim Khan, Sajjad Anwar, Rana Asif Forwards: Adnan Zakir, Kashif Yaqoob, Shakeel Abbasi, Tariq Aziz, Akhter Ali, Yasir Islam, M. Arif, Ishtiaq.
