The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia, starts tomorrow, and Muhammad Umar Bhutta’s Pakistan national hockey squad is eager to put on a strong performance.
Nine players, including star players Ammad Butt, Hammad Anjum, Moeen Shakeel, and Rizwan Ali, declined to attend the training camp last month, forcing the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to deploy a young squad for the competition.
According to sources, lucrative contracts in England, as compared to those offered by the PHF, and reservations with the Pakistan team coaching staff were among the reasons behind players’ decision to move abroad.
On Tuesday, November 1, Pakistan’s hockey squad will play South Africa in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup opener.
Six teams are competing in the tournament: Pakistan, South Africa, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, and Egypt. On November 10, the top two teams in the standings will face off in the championship match.
In the FIH Men’s Rankings, every team except Egypt, which is ranked 20th, is ranked higher than Pakistan, which is ranked 18.
| Opposition | Date | Timing |
| South Africa | 1 November 2022 | 3 PM |
| Malaysia | 2 November 2022 | 5 PM |
| Japan | 4 November 2022 | 1 PM |
| South Korea | 5 November 2022 | 1 PM |
| Egypt | 7 November 2022 | 3 PM |
Pakistan squad
- Muhammad Umar Bhutta (c)
- Abdullah Ishtiaq
- Akmal Hussain
- Mohammad Abdullah
- Sufyan
- Arbaaz Ahmed
- Aqeel
- Ehtsham
- Murtaza Yaqoob
- Rana Abdul Waheed
- Rooman Khan
- Hanan Shahid
- Junaid Manzoor
- Arshad Liaquat
- Afraz
- Shahzaib Khan
- Usama Bashir
- Mohammad Imran.
