KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) announced Wednesday an 18-member team for the upcoming Azlan Shah Cup due to start from May 6 in Malaysia and rested at least three key senior players including Shakeel Abbas, Rehan Butt, and Sohail Abbas.
While talking exclusively to The Sports Encounter, Shakeel Abbasi and Rehan Butt said that the way the federation has rested them has sent a wrong message among the senior players in the team as they have performed well in the National Championship as well as in the training camp.
Chief selector Hanif Khan told reporters after one-day trials at the Hockey Club of Pakistan that that besides Abbas, former captains Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi have been dropped from the squad because it was ‘visible that they needed rest’.
“My team (Wapda) won the National Hockey Championship and I performed well right throughout the competition so it is not right to say that our body language showed we need rest and we have not fully recovered from World Cup trauma,” Rehan Butt said.
“I believe I can play international hockey for the next two or two and a half year. But it was the federation’s decision so we can’t do much about it,” Rehan added.
Shakeel Abbasi said that it was not right on the part of the PHF to call them for the camp and disgrace like that.
“If they had decided to give us rest then they should have told us. It all came as a big shock as we have performed well in the national championship and in the training camp.”
“I believe I am fit to represent Pakistan. Everybody else in the camp were also surprised when they heard that I have been dropped,” Shakeel said.
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