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Abbasi, Butt recalled for Olympic squad

Dunya News

PHF has recalled forwards Shakil Abbasi and Rehan Butt into its squad for the London Olympics.

Both players were fined last month for participating in World Hockey Series in India, an event that field hockeys world governing body refused to sanction.Midfielder Waseem Ahmad, who was also fined for his participation in the renegade tournament, made the Olympic squad as well.Pakistan was once recognized as powerhouse in field hockey but only finished eighth at Beijing, its worst ever Olympic placing.Pakistan won gold at the 1960, 1968 and 1984 Olympics in hockey.The PHF fired Michel van den Heuvel as coach in March for violating the federations code of conduct, but it was the Dutchmen who guided Pakistan to an automatic Olympic place by winning gold at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.Since then, Akhtar Rasool took over the team. In the absence of Abbasi, Butt and Waseem, Pakistan finished last at the recent seven-team Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia.Pakistan is in Group A at the Olympics with Australia, Britain, Spain, Argentina and South Africa.____Squad:Imran Shah, Imran Butt, Mohammad Irfan, Sohail Abbas (captain), Syed Kashif Shah, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Rizwan Junior, Fareed Ahmed, Rashid Mahmood, Mohammad Tousiq, Waseem Ahmed, Mohammad Waqas, Shafqat Rasool, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Rehan Butt, Mohammad Rizwan Senior, Muhammad Umar Bhutta.