The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has taken a major step in its preparations for the upcoming Hockey World Cup by delegating team selection authority to the Pakistan team’s foreign coaching staff.
The move underlines the federation’s commitment to ensuring that selection is based on merit, fitness, and performance.
The foreign coaches will conduct in-depth fitness evaluations for all participants in the national training camp and will provide a detailed report after the fitness test, sources said.
The final World Cup team will then be selected based on these evaluations.
The PHF has also reiterated that no player shall be included in the squad unless they meet the fitness criteria as well as the criteria and expectations of the coaching staff.
They believe that emphasising fitness will enable Pakistan to put their best foot forward in the World Cup.
The two foreign coaches are at the national training camp in Islamabad where the camp is in progress.
The sessions are designed to develop the endurance, strength, speed and overall physical fitness of the players and enable the coaches to closely monitor their development before making their final recommendations.
Read more: New era for Pakistan hockey as PHF brings in foreign coaching staff
Pakistan Women U19 start T20 series against South Africa
In the meantime, Pakistan Women Under-19 will host South Africa Women Under-19 for five T20 matches at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi from Tuesday July 14.
The remaining matches will take place on July 17, July 19, July 22 and July 24.
The first five matches will commence at 7:00 pm local time and the toss will be at 6:30 pm.
The series will air live on PTV Sports, Geo Super and will be live streamed on Tapmad, Tamasha and Myco.
International viewers will be able to follow the action live on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s official YouTube channel.
Spectators will be able to come into the Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan enclosures for free.
Fizza Fiaz will be captaining Pakistan and Mieke van Voorst will lead the South Africa side.
Pakistan will enter the series with 12 of the 17 players from its five-match T-20 series victory over Bangladesh.
Captain Fizza Fiaz, Aqsa Habib, Areesha Ansari, Barirah Saif, Komal Khan, Mahnoor Zeb, Memoona Khalid, Raahima Syed, Ravail Farhan, Rozina Akram, Shahar Bano and Zoofishan Ayyaz are among the returning players.
Also read: PHF opens training camp at Naseer Bunda Stadium for senior men’s hockey team
