Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced the 20-man squad for the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event will run from 5 to 16 December 2023 at Malaysia National Hockey Stadium.
Pakistan squad and team management confirmed for Junior Hockey World Cup next month 🇵🇰🏑
Star forward Abdul Hanan Shahid will lead the side ✨#HockeyTwitter @Hannan_shahid09 pic.twitter.com/aQgbVDAdO3
— Muneeb Farrukh (@Muneeb313_) November 29, 2023
The team will be captained by forward Abdul Hannan Shahid, while it is being head-coached by Dutch-origin Roelant Oltmans.
Oltmans has previously coached national teams of the Netherlands (men & women), Pakistan, India, and Malaysia. He won the 1996 Summer Olympics gold medal while coaching the Dutch men’s team. He also won the 1990 Women’s Hockey World Cup and the 1998 Men’s Hockey World Cup with the Netherlands team.
Here’s the complete squad:
| Player | Shirt Number |
| Ali Raza (Goalkeeper) | 01 |
| Arbaz Ahmad | 02 |
| Sufyan Khan | 03 |
| Ghazanfar | 04 |
| Murtaza Yaqoob | 05 |
| Zikriya Hayat | 06 |
| Arshad Liaqat | 07 |
| Abdul Rehman | 08 |
| Hannan Shahid (Captain) | 09 |
| Abuzar | 10 |
| Arbaz Ayaz | 11 |
| Abdul Rafay (Goalkeeper) | 12 |
| Abdul Manan | 13 |
| M Ammad | 14 |
| Ahtisham | 15 |
| Basharat Ali | 16 |
| Aqeel Ahmed | 18 |
| Ali Murtaza | 23 |
| Umer Mustafa | 24 |
| Abdul Qayyum | 25 |
Players born after 1st January 2002 are eligible for the Junior Hockey World Cup, as it is an under-21 event. There are a total of 16 countries competing for the trophy.
Pakistan qualified for the event after finishing as runners-up in the 2023 Junior Asia Cup in Salalah, Oman. Pakistan lost to India 2-1 in the final match, while South Korea finished third to successfully qualify for the Junior World Cup.
