KARACHI, 9 July 2006 — Pakistan on Thursday invited drag flick ace Sohail Abbas and former skipper Wasim Ahmed to join the national training camp in a bid to boost their chances of winning an unprecedented fifth World Cup hockey title in Germany later this year.
But Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Tariq Kirmani made it clear that the two experienced players will have to prove their fitness if they are to make the cut for the 18-member national squad.
“It is great news for Pakistan hockey that Sohail and Wasim have made themselves available for selection,” Kirmani told ‘Arab News’.
“They are very accomplished players and if it is proved that they are fit enough to play international hockey then it would be a big boost for our team,” added the PHF chief.
Sohail, world hockey’s highest scorer, and Wasim announced their retirement from international hockey after the 2004 Champions Trophy in Lahore. While Wasim’s announcement was not too unexpected, Sohail’s decision to quit came as a huge shock for Pakistan who have been entirely relying on him for short corner goals since 1998.
He was pursued by the PHF to reconsider his decision but the player remained adamant saying that he wanted to make way for younger players.
However, earlier this week Sohail changed his mind and announced that he was available for Pakistan selection. A day later, Wasim — Sohail’s close friend — followed suit by coming out of retirement.
Kirmani welcomed what he termed as a “change in the players’ attitude” and said that he hoped the duo, if selected, would help bring an improvement in the national team’s results in major international events including this September’s World Cup.
He said that now it is up to the national selection committee and the Pakistan team management to decide whether the two players can be included in the squad for this month’s Champions Trophy to be played in Terrassa, Spain.
Pakistan are scheduled to announce their 18-member team for the elite six-nation Champions Trophy next week.
“Fitness holds the key for the two players,” said Kirmani.
“There is no doubt that Sohail and Wasim have been world class players but we will have to judge whether they are still fit enough to play international hockey after staying away for more than a year-and-a-half,” he said.
Both players have been asked to join the national team in Abbottabad. Kirmani said that soon the national selection committee members would be sent there to judge the duo’s fitness.
Pakistan, record four-time World Cup champions, have been going through a bad patch in recent months, having finished a poor fourth place in the World Cup Qualifiers in China (April) and a disappointing fifth position in last month’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
They have been unable to score many goals through short corners since Sohail’s exit and Kirmani believes that the Karachi-based player’s comeback would help the team overcome this problem.
“Sohail has proved himself to be the world’s best short corner exponent and we are hoping that he would make a successful return to the national team,” Kirmani said.
