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KARACHI: Former Pakistan hockey captain Shakeel Abbasi has said that he was disappointed at not being considered to play in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Eight senior players, namely, Shakeel Abbasi, Rehan Butt, Zeeshan Ashraf, Waseem Ahmed, Imran Warsi, Tariq Aziz, Adnan Maqsood and Mudassar Ali Khan, have been issued show cause notices by the PHF for taking part in the WHS in India in March/April despite having been warned of dire consequences by the federation earlier.
“I was hoping that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Disciplinary Committee would have been through with its inquiry by the time the PHF announced the team and we would be a part of the squad as well but that was not the case,” he said while speaking to Dawn on Monday.
“We are waiting to be called to play for Pakistan. I don’t know how long we will have to wait before we finally get a chance to do so. We have other offers, too, you know but we prefer to be available to play for our country. It was sad that we weren’t considered for Azlan Shah,” he said.
“I am quite fit right now but I don’t know for how long I can maintain my fitness while sitting at home. I’ve been going to the gym regularly, but it still isn’t the same thing,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, the other former captain Rehan Butt who is also sitting out and hoping for a decision in his favour by the Disciplinary Committee, said that he wasn’t so concerned about not being included in the Azlan Shah squad but it was about time the PHF took a decision on them. “Well, I’ve already featured in 12 Azlan Shah tournaments so far, so not getting included there is not that big a problem for me,” he said.
“What really is an issue for me is that when Germany, Holland and India can recall their boys who played in the World Hockey Series (WHS) for the sake of fielding a strong team in the Olympics, then why can’t the PHF also do the same thing?”
The first hearing of the disciplinary committee looking into the matter was held on May 7.
Dawn
Pakistan’s penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s newly-appointed hockey captain Sohail Abbas believes that the forthcoming Azlan Shah Cup will be a big challenge for his young team ahead of the London Olympics.
“If the boys play as a unit and remain consistent in the Malaysian event, it can be a big boost for the team before the Olympics,” he said in an interview on Monday.
Abbas added that in the presence of Argentina, Belgium, India, Korea, New Zealand and host Malaysia, a huge effort is required from the young guns to make their mark in the event.
“It will also be a new experiment for the players as they will be playing on the blue turf for the first time,” said Sohail, who holds the world record of scoring 338 goals in 367 internationals.
“Blue turf may pose some problems because none of us have played on it. But as international players we will have to adopt to it quickly before the Olympics,” he pointed out.
“This is a team game and a collective effort is required for better results. We need a few good wins in Azlan Shah Cup to lift the morale and spirits of the team,” he added.
“Moreover, as the whole nation is watching you with lot of expectations, you need to play with a great deal of enthusiasm and put up your best show,” he remarked.
Abbas thanked the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for reposing confidence in him as captain.
“It is a great honour for me to lead the team and I want to thank the Almighty for bestowing this honour on me,” said the 35-year-old player who featured in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics but missed the Beijing Games.
Commenting on the outstanding youngsters in the side, he said talented players like vice-captain Waqas Sharif, Haseem Khan, Shabbir Ahmed, Shafqat Rasool, Mohammad Zubair. Mohammad Rizwan and Umar Bhutta could do Pakistan proud with their performance.
Abbas disclosed that he will be playing both as deep defender and in the mid-field while upcoming penalty-corner strikers Mohammad Tausiq and Mohammad Irfan will support him.
“Like always, my fitness level is good. I am looking forward to my new role to serve the country to the best of my abilities.”
Abbas last represented Pakistan in the Champions Trophy held in Auckland in December 2011but went out of action after he broke his jaw in the second match of the event. He also missed the 4-match Test series against China at home.
KIWI Arun Panchia (right)
THE Black Sticks Men’s team has been announced for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup which will be played in Ipoh, Malaysia from 24 May to 3 June. It is the last tournament the Black Sticks will compete in before the Olympic team is named in mid June.
Other teams competing are Britain, Pakistan, Korea, Argentina and India as well as host country Malaysia, who are the only team not to have qualified for this year’s Olympics
“This will be a great quality tournament for us and offers an opportunity to test ourselves against teams we’ll be playing against in London. Korea and India are both in our pool at the Olympics, so we are looking forward to playing them,” says captain Dean Couzins, who will likely reach his 250th test cap during the tournament.
The tournament will be played on the same blue turf as the one at the Olympics. To ensure the Black Sticks have the best preparation in their build up, both the men’s and women’s teams have been training on the blue turf at Westlake Girls High School. Furthermore, all their upcoming test matches in Australia and Europe will be played on blue turfs also.
Four notable inclusions in the team, who were not named in the Owen G Glenn Champions Trophy team last year, are Ben Collier (Central), Nick Haig (Canterbury), Arun Panchia (Auckland) and Richard Petherick (Midlands). Blair Hopping (Midlands) was not considered due to the birth of his baby boy recently and Steve Edwards (North Harbour) is recovering from a groin injury.
The Black Sticks leave for Malaysia next Thursday 17 May, playing practice matches against Great Britain and Malaysia prior to the tournament starting.
The side then returns to Auckland where the Olympic team will be announced the week commencing 11 June. They then go to Cairns for a three test series against Australia from 17-26 June, before leaving for Europe in the first week of July where they will play against Belgium and Holland.
http://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk
The Great Britain men’s hockey squad has been announced ahead of the forthcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. The seven team invitational tournament will be Great Britain’s last competition ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Jason Lee’s squad contains two changes to the 18 man group that competed at the Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament – the Olympic Test Event – at the beginning of the month. Captain Barry Middleton is restored alongside Surbiton’s Beijing Olympian Matt Daly, who returns to competitive action after a six month absence through injury.
Old Loughtonians’ Harry Martin and Loughborough Students’ Richard Smith have both been included. The pair have been passed fit after undergoing treatment for facial injuries sustained during the Olympic Test Event.
Matt DalyDaly (right) hasn’t played competitive international hockey since late 2011. The 28 year old played for England at the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Monchengladbach in August, where he was part of the team that won the bronze medal, scoring against Ireland and the Netherlands. He subsequently played in a series of practice matches before sustaining a knee injury prior to the Champions Trophy. The Surbiton forward has an excellent goal scoring record that has seen him find the net 57 times in 142 international appearances.
Speaking about Daly’s selection, Head Coach Jason Lee said, “It is great that Matt is back playing and potentially available for Olympic selection. Someone with his goal scoring ability and history in international hockey should be very competitive if fit and able to come into form over the next couple of months. I’m sure he will be rusty to start with as he has only been back working with a stick and ball for a week after many months out.”
Speaking about the tournament and how it fits into Great Britain’s Olympic preparations Lee continued, “The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is an excellent opportunity to practice the type of tournament hockey we will experience at the Olympics and we will be approaching it with the intention of winning it - the same as our approach for the Olympics. The tournament has seven high quality teams, six of which will be at the Olympics, and it includes a number of teams that we rarely get to play.
“The climate of Malaysia will be testing for our athletes, although we will complete a short acclimation programme before we leave, which will hopefully make it easier for the players to cope in the first few games.
“It is likely that the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will be used to complete the Olympic selection process, although our focus whilst there will be entirely on the team’s performance and the attempt to win the tournament.”
The tournament will be played on a blue surface similar to that installed at the Riverbank Arena on London’s Olympic Park. Great Britain’s men are the top ranked side for the 11 day invitational tournament that features New Zealand, Korea, India, Pakistan, Argentina and the hosts Malaysia. New Zealand’s Black Sticks are the Commonwealth Games bronze medallists while Argentina’s men won the 2011 Pan American Games hockey tournament in October 2011. Three of the competing teams, Pakistan, Malaysia and India, filled the three medal spots at the 2010 Asian Games and most recently India won the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Delhi in February. Great Britain twice beat India at the Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament. At the Champions Trophy in December 2011, Great Britain beat Pakistan 2-1 and Korea 4-3.
Great Britain won the bronze medal at the 2011 tournament, finishing third behind winners Australia and runners-up Pakistan. GB beat New Zealand 4-1 in the bronze medal playoff.
Great Britain Men's Squad for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup
Name (Club) Position [Home Nation] Great Britain Caps/Great Britain Goals - Home Nation Caps/Home Nation Goals - Age
Richard Alexander (Surbiton) Midfielder/Defender [England] 52/6 - 130/13 - 30
Nick Catlin (Reading) Midfielder/Forward [England] 13/3 - 45/3 - 23
Jonty Clarke (Reading) Forward [England] 48/12 - 138/28 - 31
Matt Daly (Surbiton) Forward [England] 43/12 - 95/44 - 28
Adam Dixon (Beeston) Defender/Midfielder [England] 23/0 - 58/2 - 25
James Fair (Cannock) Goalkeeper [England] 31/0 - 87/0 - 31
Dan Fox (Hampstead & Westminster) Defender [England] 11/0 - 23/0 - 29
Ben Hawes (Wimbledon) Defender/Midfielder [England] 82/19 - 125/25 - 31
Ashley Jackson (East Grinstead) Midfielder [England] 55/20 - 71/49 - 24
Glenn Kirkham (East Grinstead) Midfielder [England] 62/5 - 145/7 - 29
Iain Lewers (East Grinstead) Defender [England] 21/0 - 15/1 - 28
Iain Mackay (Reading) Midfielder [England] 24/1 - 63/11 - 27
Harry Martin (Old Loughtonians) Midfielder [England] 19/2 - 8/0 - 19
Barry Middleton (East Grinstead) Midfielder/Forward [England] 89/30 - 159/43 - 28
Rob Moore (Surbiton) Midfielder/Forward [England] 75/20 - 148/19 - 30
Richard Smith (Loughborough Students) Defender [England] 13/4 - 64/7 - 24
James Tindall (Surbiton) Forward [England] 59/21 - 126/56 - 29
Ali Wilson (Beeston) Defender [England] 50/0 - 103/6 - 28
MALAYSIAN hockey never had it so good, as not only did the juniors achieve both their targets, but also did it in style to lift the Junior Asia Cup title in Malacca.
Four Asian hockey powerhouses were side-stepped with ease as coach K. Dharmaraj’s charges qualified for the Junior World Cup, and then snatched the gold from the jaws of a snapping Pakistan.
Iran (6-1), Japan (3-1), South Korea (6-3), India (2-0) and Pakistan (2-1) was the impressive wins earned by a team which was formed in 2009.
Since the tournament was incepted in 1987, only three teams had laid their hands on the title -- until Sunday that is.
Pakistan have three under their belts starting with the inaugural in 1987, followed by 1992 and their hat-trick in 1996; then South Korea won one in 2000; while India were the dominant force in 2004 and 2008.
The 7,000-odd fans who thronged the MBM Stadium in Malacca for the final went home singing praises, but there were some who wondered what next?
The voices of joy also went one step further to suggest that instead of the seniors, this team should be fielded for the Azlan Shah Cup on May 25 to June 3 in Ipoh.
The seven-team invitation will have six Olympic teams in India, Pakistan, South Korea, Argentina, Britain and New Zealand.
“This win by the juniors has certainly lifted our standard in Asia and it was made possible with good team-work from the coaching, management, parent body and the National Sports Council.
“Hard work for the past three years has worked wonders to produce talented players, and now I am also looking at a bigger pool of junior trainees for the Azlan Shah Cup,” said seniors coach Tai Beng Hai.
Beng Hai already had five of the players in his Road to London programme which ended with failure at the Dublin Olympic Qualifier.
“I now plan to have a bigger pool of juniors in the Azlan Shah Cup training squad and will consult the junior team management and coaches to see who is available and also injury free.
“I have a handful of injured players as well as those who can’t get leave from their studies, and if the juniors can fit into their positions, it would be good for hockey in the country on the long run for them to play against Olympic sides,” said Beng Hai.
Malaysia also grabbed the lion’s share in honours as Kavin Kartik was named as Man of the Final, the top-scorers award was shared by Korea’s yang Jihun and Faizal Saari on six goals.
Malaysian goalkeeper Hazrul Faiz was the Best Goal keeper, as well as Player-of-the-Tournament.
Hazrul’s double is a rarity as goalkeepers are rarely honoured with the best players award.
However, the downside of this team is that six of them including both the penalty corner flickers Faizal and skipper Nor Faez Ibrahim as well as Izat Sumantri, Amir Farid, Mohamed Ramadan and Dedi Aryandi will be overage for the Junior World Cup in New Delhi in November.
And replacements should have been scouted from the 2017 side yesterday, as tomorrow would be too late if we want to make an impact on the junior world stage next.
Beng Hai should also at least field eight from the junior squad for the Azlan Shah Cup, as exposure is all that it will offer for Malaysia while the other six teams warm-up for Olympic honours.
