Pakistan announce 30 probables for Champions Trophy

Sep 26, 2011: KARACHI: Pakistan has recalled Sohail Abbas and goalkeeper Salman Akbar but again ignored former captain Rehan Butt while naming 30 probables for the Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Auckland from December 3-11.

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) chief selector Hanif Khan, also a former captain and Olympian, announced names for the senior and junior camps which will start simultaneously from October 1, at different venues to train and select teams for upcoming foreign tours.

Khan admitted that he was disappointed at the team’s failure to convert short corners into goals in the recently held Asian Champions Trophy in China, were Pakistan lost the final to India.

Pakistan got 30 short corners in the Asian Champions Trophy but could only convert only five.

Abbas, who holds the world record of scoring goals on short-corners’ was totally ignored for this prestigious event that cost Pakistan the tournament.

Rehan Butt, who was dropped for the Asian Champions Trophy, has been ignored again while ace goalkeeper Akbar, hero of 2010 Asian Games, has been recalled.