Pakistan hockey squad for World Cup announced: Zeeshan Ashraf to lead the team

Pakistan's selection panel Saturday announced an 18-man hockey squad to compete in the World Cup, which starts in India later this month. The four-time world and three-time Olympic champions have not won a major title since their World Cup win in Australia in 1994. They finished eighth - their worst ever result - at the Beijing Olympics.
Pakistan had to participate in World Cup qualifying rounds in France last year, the only time they had to go through qualification because of their low rankings. Chief selector Hasan Sardar said: "The event, to be held from February 28 to March 13 in New Delhi, can usher in a new era in Pakistan hockey." "We have selected the best possible squad and hope that the team plays up to its potential to bring back the golden period of our hockey," said Sardar, a member of Pakistan's last Olympic gold medal winning team in 1986.
Full-back Zeeshan Ashraf will lead the team, while penalty corner expert Sohail Abbas is its main hope, having achieved a world record of 300 goals last year. Pakistan are in Group B along with Australia, England, India, South Africa and Spain. They play their first match against arch-rivals India on the opening day. Defending champions Germany, Argentina, New Zealand, the Netherlands, South Korea and Canada form Group B. Sardar, who is remembered as a magical center-forward in the 1980s, said the first match would set the tone for the team.
"The match against India will set the tone for us and if we win that game we have a good chance of reaching the semi-final, where it will be a do-or-die for all four teams," said Sardar. Another Olympic gold medal winner of the 1986 team, Shahid Ali Khan, will coach the team, while Asif Bajwa will be its manager.
Doubts were raised over the hockey team's participation in the World Cup after Pakistani cricketers were snubbed at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction last month. But Pakistan's government categorically said the team would not boycott the World Cup despite calls from former players to shun the event in protest at the IPL controversy. Bajwa said the announcement of the squad meant the team would be going.
"We have announced the squad and will definitely get the clearance from the government to tour India," said Bajwa. Pakistan introduced the World Cup trophy in 1971. They won the title in the inaugural year before getting it again in 1978, 1982 and 1994.
Squad: Nasir Ahmad and Salman Akbar (goalkeepers), Zeeshan Ashraf, Sohail Abbas and Muhammad Rashid (full-backs), Mohammad Irfan, Waseem Ahmad, Mohammad Imran, Fareed Ahmad and Sajjad Anwar (halves), Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Abdul Haseem Khan, Mohammad Zubair, Akhtar Ali, Omer Bhutta, Abbas Haider and Muhammad Rizwan (forwards).