ISLAMABAD – Chief selector Hanif Khan on Sunday announced the 18-member hockey squad at the Nasir Bunda Hockey Stadium with ace penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas as captain of Pakistan for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament 2012 and tour of Europe.
Coach Akhtar Rasool, Kh Junaid and Khaild Bashir were also present on the occasion. Hanif Khan said that 6 players from junior hockey team were inducted in the team on their good performances in Asian Junior Cup. They are Kashif Shah, Khalid Bhatti, M Rizwan Junior, M Tauseeq, M Umar Bhutta and Ali Shan as they want to give them exposure at senior level.
The team will depart on May 18 from Lahore to Kuala Lumpur for appearing in the event will commence from May 24 at Ipoh, Malaysia. Apart from Pakistan, teams from Great Britain, New Zealand, Argentina, India, Malaysia, and Korea will contest in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
The camp for Pakistani selected players will start in Lahore.
Pakistan will take on Argentina on May 24 in the opening match of the tournament. The team would return on June 4. Pakistan team will leave for three-nation tournament on June 8.
The training camp for the Olympics will start from June 24 to July 12 in Lahore. Team will on July 12 for Canon (England) for Olympics training camp and on July 24 will shift to Olympic village.
Replying on a query regarding non availability of blue turfs, Akhtar Rasool said that boys are capable of playing on any kind of surface and for this purpose they have arranged European tour to prepare them on these turfs.
Squad: Sohail Abbas (captain), Waqas Sharif (vice captain), Imran Shah, Imran Butt, M Irfan, Kashif Shah, Khalid Bhatti, Fareed Ahmed, Rashid Mehmood, M Rizwan Junior, M Tauseeq, Shafqat Rasool, Abdul Haseem Khan, M Rizwan Senior, M Zubair, M Umar Bhutta, Shabbir Ahmed Khan and Ali Shan.
Following is the schedule:
May 24: Pakistan vs Argentina
India vs New Zealand
Korea vs Malaysia
May 25: New Zealand vs Argentina
Great Britain vs Malaysia
India vs Korea
May 27: Pakistan vs New Zealand
Korea vs Argentina.
Saturday, 19 May 2012
Sohail named Pakistan captain - The Nation, Pakistan
Monday, 7 May 2012
Cricket-Wagner named in NZ team for West Indies tour - Reuters India
n">May 3 (Reuters) - South African-born pace bowler Neil Wagner was fast-tracked into New Zealand's test squad on Thursday for their tour of West Indies, just two weeks after receiving approval from the International Cricket Council to be selected despite not meeting residency requirements.
The ICC requires a player to spend at least 183 days in a country for four successive years to be considered for selection.
The 26-year-old Wagner, who moved to New Zealand in 2008, failed to achieve the minimum number of days on two occasions.
Once because he was playing a Twenty20 competition overseas with his New Zealand province Otago, and the second time due to a family wedding.
Wagner had been expected to be named in the squad after he received dispensation from the ICC last month. He is the third South African born player to be named in the test squad following wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk and wicketkeeper batsman BJ Watling.
"Neil has been an extremely good performer in (first-class cricket) for a number of seasons and deserves his opportunity," national selection manager Kim Littlejohn said.
Swing bowler Tim Southee, who struggled for line and consistency in the test series against South Africa and was dropped from the side, has not been included in the test squad for the tour that begins with two Twenty20 internationals in Florida before moving to the Caribbean.
Southee, however, has been named in the limited overs sides for the two Twenty20 games and five one-day internationals.
Aggressive batsman Brendon McCullum has been rested for the limited overs portion of the tour, Littlejohn said, as has all-rounder James Franklin.
McCullum also normally keeps wickets during the shorter forms of the game but Watling, who has recovered from a hip injury that gave van Wyk the opportunity to cement his place in the test side in the series against South Africa is likely to be behind the stumps in McCullum's absence.
New Zealand open their tour on June 30 with their first Twenty20 match in Florida.
Twenty20 squad: Ross Taylor (captain), Martin Guptill, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Andrew Ellis, Daniel Flynn, Ronnie Hira, Tom Latham, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson
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One day squad: Ross Taylor (captain), Martin Guptill, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Andrew Ellis, Daniel Flynn, Tom Latham, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tarun Nethula, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson
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Test squad: Ross Taylor (captain), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Neil Wagner, Daniel Flynn, Mark Gillespie, Martin Guptill, Chris Martin, Brendon McCullum, Tarun Nethula, Kruger van Wyk, Daniel Vettori, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson