KARACHI: Pakistan have recalled a quartet of senior players to boost their hopes of winning the Asia Cup in Kuantan, Malaysia and earn a direct spot for the 2010 World Cup.
National selectors retained seasoned defender Zeeshan Ashraf as Pakistan's captain and gave his under-performing team a shot in the arm by bringing back four experienced players including drag flick star Sohail Abbas for the seven-nation spectacle to be played from May 9-16.
Also back in the 18-man squad are former Pakistan captains Rehan Butt, Waseem Ahmed and goalie Salman Akbar.
The four players were previously blacklisted by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for skipping their national duty to play professional hockey in Europe, but have now been cleared for their international comeback.
There was no place in the squad for out-of-form goalie Nasir Ahmed, who has been replaced by Salman.
Nasir was awfully out of form in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which is why the selectors decided against retaining him in the squad.
Salman, the country's most experienced goalie, is the only goalkeeper in the squad - a gamble that might backfire like it did in Ipoh.
In all, Pakistan have made six changes to the team that flopped miserably in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in April at Ipoh, Malaysia, where it finished with a disappointing fourth position in the five-nation contest.
Abdul Haseem Khan, Pakistan junior team captain, and midfielder Muhammad Irfan have been inducted in the squad in a bid to give a further boost.
Haseem is trying to prove himself as a prolific striker while Irfan is seen as a solid midfielder, who can bolster Pakistan's feeble penalty corner defense because of his skills as a reliable 'dasher'.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan is pinning his hopes in the team but has warned against expecting too much from it.
"On paper, this side seems to be much better than the one that played in the Azlan Shah Cup," Shahid told Arab News after the completion of the two-day trials at Lahore's National Stadium on Thursday evening.
"But it will all depend on how these players gel together in Kuantan. If this combination clicks, then we will certainly have good chances of winning the Asia Cup," he added.
Pakistan have not won the Asia Cup since their triumph in 1989 at New Delhi. Their recent track record also goes against them as they have not performed well against top title contenders like defending champions India, Korea and China in recent times.
Shahid, however, made it clear that his players will put aside all bad memories and will go all out for the title.
"We have to look ahead and try to go out there and win the Asia Cup," said the former Olympian. "It is our biggest assignment of the year and we want to take our best shot at it."
A title-winning triumph can earn Pakistan a direct spot for next year's World Cup in India. If they fail to do so, the four-time world champions will have to feature in the qualifying rounds this November.
Pakistan have bolstered their midfield by recalling Waseem, though the player is still not fully fit.
Waseem has missed most of the training sessions because of a hamstring problem but team officials are expecting him to be fully fit ahead of their make-or-break opener against China on May 9.
"The event's opening day will be the most important for us," he said. "If we beat China, we will almost certainly qualify for the semifinals."
Pakistan are drawn against China and holders India in Pool B. Bangladesh, which was initially the fourth team in their pool, have been shifted to Pool A after the withdrawal of Sri Lanka.
Pakistan continued their homework in Lahore till May 3 before leaving for Malaysia. They will play a couple of warm-up games before taking on China on the event's opening day under floodlights. On May 10, Pakistan will feature in a mouthwatering clash against India.
Pakistan squad:
Salman Akbar (goalkeeper), Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Imran (defenders), Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Saqlain, Fareed Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmad (midfielders), Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali (forwards).
