The Pakistan men’s hockey team’s entire coaching staff has been sacked after the team failed to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Champions Trophy in India, reported news agency PTI on Monday, 21 August.
The Pakistan side were knocked out in the Round Robin League in the recently concluded Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai. Pakistan were hammered by arch-rivals India 4-0 on 9 August.
India skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored twice as the hosts defeated Pakistan 4-0 in their final round-robin league match in Chennai to advance to the semifinals unbeaten. Harmanpreet (15th, 23rd minutes) converted two penalty corners, while Jugraj Singh (36th) added another. In the 55th minute, India’s final goal came from the sticks of Akashdeep Singh on a field play. Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament on goal difference despite finishing with the same five points as Korea and Japan. Pakistan needed a draw or a one-goal loss to advance to the semifinals.
Shahnaz Sheikh has been named the new head coach, but his appointment has been met with controversy as he was part of the committee that sacked the previous coaching staff.
Shahnaz has previously been the head coach of the Pakistan team and was also named as a consultant for the Asian Champions Trophy. However, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was unable to obtain a visa for him in time for the tournament.
This led to Shahnaz being unhappy with the PHF and believing that they did not do enough to ensure he was able to travel with the team.
The new coaching staff also includes Shakeel Abbasi, Amjad Ali, and Dilawar Hussain.
The appointment of Shahnaz as head coach has been met with confusion as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has dissolved the PHF. This means that it is unclear who has the authority to make decisions about the team.
The PHF national selection committee has also announced a list of 36 probables for the Asian Games. These players will attend a training camp in Islamabad starting on Tuesday.
The Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China from September 10 to 25.
Probables:
Goalkeepers: Akmal Hussain, Abdullah Ishtiyaq Khan, Waqar, Ali Raza, Abdullah Sheikh. Defenders: Mohammad Abdullah, Arbaz Ahmad, Mohammad Sufyan Khan, Aqeel Ahmed, Mohammad Bilal Aslam. Midfielders: Usama Bashir, Mohammad Murtaza Yaqoob, Arbaz Ayaz, Ahtisham Aslam, Mohammad Baqar, Mohammad Nadeem Khan, Mohammad Imran, Syed Shehbaz Haider
Forwards: Mohammad Imad, Afraz, Roman, Arshad Liaquat, Abdul Qayyum, Abdul Rehman, Waqar Ali, Mohammad Arsalan, Mohammad Umar Bhat, Abdul Hannan Shahid, Mohammad Shahzaib Khan, Abdul Wahab, Zikriya Hayat, Bisharat Ali, Rana Waleed, Hamza Fayaz, Abdul Rehman.
