Shahnaz Sheikh criticises PHF on overlooking the senior players for Asian Champions Trophy
Shahnaz Sheikh, the former Olympian and the legend of Pakistan Hockey, has criticised the decision of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) of ignoring the senior and experienced players, like the veteran striker Rehan Butt, goalkeeper Salman Akbar and the
penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas.
Abbas holds the world record of most number of goals and a penalty corner conversion rate of 65 percent, for the opening edition of the Asian Champions Trophy to be held in Ordos, China, from September 3 to 11. The Greenshirts will face the challenge of
all the top hockey nations like South Korea, India and Malaysia along with the hosts, China, and Japan.
He stated that PHF does not look like a mature and consistent federation in taking their major decisions.
Shahnaz Sheikh stated that winning the first Asian Champions Trophy is very important for the Greenshirts in order to maintain their unparalleled record of winning the first edition of each and every tournament.
“This inaugural trophy is very important as Pakistan has a unique record of winning all the inaugural tournaments, like Asian Games in 1958, World Cup in 1971, Champions Trophy in 1978, Junior World Cup in 1979 and Asia Cup in 1982. No hockey team in the
world has such unprecedented record,” the former Olympian stated about Pakistan’s distinctive record at the horizon of international hockey.
Stating about the exclusion of senior trio from the Asian Champions Trophy, the former Olympian stated.
“Rehan is a front-line player and threat to the opponents. He has the ability to score goal and create opportunities and penalty-corners for Sohail,” Shahnaz Sheikh shared his views about the seasoned striker Rehan Butt.
He also viewed that a goalkeeper has an important role in the field and Salman Akbar played a very vital role in Greenshirts’ victory in last year’s Asian Games held in Guangzhou, China.
Moreover, the former Olympian stated that the Greenshirts still can be victorious in the event if they exhibit consistency in their performance. It will be interesting to see how the young players manage to perform during this competitive tournament.
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