The Asian Hockey Champions Trophy will be hosted in Chennai from August 3 to 12. The Pakistan national hockey team will travel to India for the tournament on August 1. Pakistan’s first match is against Malaysia on August 3, and they will face arch-rivals India on August 9.
The team will reach Chennai from Amritsar via the Wagah Border. However, three team officials are still waiting for their visas, and the head coach, Shahnaz Sheikh, is also facing visa-related issues.
On Thursday, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the national men’s hockey team to take part in the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy. The issuance of the NOC came after obtaining clearance from the relevant ministries and authorities.
The Asian Hockey Champions Trophy is a significant event on the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) calendar, featuring teams like India, South Korea, Japan, China, and Malaysia, along with Pakistan.
Pakistani Squad
Pakistan’s squad for the tournament includes the following players;
Muhammad Umar Bhatta (c), Akmal Hussain, Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan, Muhammad Abdullah, Muhammad Sufyan Khan, Ehtsham Aslam, Osama Bashir, Aqeel Ahmed, Arshad Liaquat, Muhammad Imad, Abdul Hanan Shahid, Zakaria Hayat, Rana Abdul Waheed Ashraf (Vice Captain), Roman, Muhammad Murtaza Yaqoob, Muhammad Shahzaib Khan, Afraz, Abdul Rahman, while the standby includes Ali Raza, Muhammad Baqir, Muhammad Nadeem Khan, Abdul Wahab, Waqar Ali, Muhammad Arsalan, and Abdul Qayyum.
Schedule of Pakistan’s matches
Pakistan’s schedule for the group matches is below;
August 3 – vs Malaysia
August 4 – vs Korea
August 6 – vs Japan
August 7 – vs China
August 9 – vs India
