Former World and Olympic champion Pakistan’s mission towards restoring their dominance in world hockey will continue in the 13th Sultan of Johor Cup (SoJC) Under-21 International Invitational tournament at the Johor Hockey Stadium in Taman Daya from Oct 11-18.
The men in Green Shirts have yet to capture the coveted SoJC trophy since its inception in 2011. The Pakistanis qualified for the 2016 final fir the first and only time in the history of the tournament, before going down 1-3 to Australia to claim the silver medal.
The team finished in fourth place in 2012, 2013 and 2023, where they lost 5-6 to three-time champions India in a penalty shootout in the playoff for a bronze medal following a 3-3 draw in regulation time.
Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has appointed former international Kamran Ashraf as national junior team head coach. He is assisted by Yasir Islam, a former international himself who has been with the team since the 2024 Junior World Cup in Oman.
The Pakistanis will travel to Johor Bahru with their best line-up that includes penalty-corner specialist Sufyan Khan, forward Abdul Hannan Shahid and midfielder Zikriya Hayat, who were members of the senior team that finished runners-up to eventual champions New Zealand in the 2025 Nations Cup held in Kuala Lumpur.
Head coach Kamran Ashraf said 34 players have been named for a national junior hockey camp at the Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium in Islamabad since September 15.
“Perhaps after 10 to 12 days of training, PHF will shortlist the team for the upcoming SoJC atin Johor Bahru. We aim to give an enhancing performance in every match,” said Kamran, who had represented Pakistan in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was part of the national team that won the 1994 World Cup, scoring eight goals in the tournament.
“The team is built around several core players, such as Sufyan, Hannan and Zikriya, who featured in the senior team at the Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur. They played well, especially Sufyan, who was effective in penalty corner conversions. Hannan and Zikriya were equally good and played their roles well.”
“With the experience of senior players like Sufyan, Hannan and Zikriya, we have a good all-round combination. While the three senior players have had good exposure on the international platform, the rest of the players performed well in the four-match series against the Germany national juniors’ team in a recent friendly four-match series,” he stressed.
Kamran added that PHF is working hard to restore Pakistan’s dominance in hockey as they were once the powerhouse in the game.
Pakistan’s Juniors last played in the 2024 Junior Asia Cup in Oman, followed by the landmark four-Test Series against reigning world champions Germany in Lahore in March this year, and matches against their senior team in preparation for the SoJC and the FIH 2025 Junior World Cup scheduled to be held in Chennai, India.
