“As far as we are concerned their international careers are over,” chief selector Hanif Khan told Arab News on Saturday referring to Ashraf and Butt.
Though the national selectors have picked the 25-man preliminary squad for a relatively less important tour of Australia, the fact that Pakistan will pick their teams for this December’s Champions Trophy and next year’s Olympic Games from within this pool of players makes it clear that Ashraf and Butt are no more in the picture for the Greenshirts.
However, the selectors have once again showed faith in the abilities of the experienced Sohail Abbas as the drag flick ace has been recalled after being overlooked for the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy held in China earlier this month.
“It’s quite evident that we still need Sohail Abbas,” said Hanif, a former Olympian. “At the Asian Champions Trophy we earned a total of 28 penalty corner but scored just six goals off them and that’s a poor ratio,” he added.
“The question is that if our young boys can’t score enough goals in an Asian-level event then how could one expect them to convert penalty corner in bigger tournaments like the Champions Trophy and the Olympic Games?”
Hanif said that the national selectors also received a positive feedback from Pakistan’s Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel regarding Sohail. “The coach together with other members of the management believes that the team still needs Sohail and the selectors agree with their point of view,” he said.
Hanif said that his committee has voted in favor of including seasoned Salman Akber because he is Pakistan’s “No. 1 goalkeeper.”
“Though the young Imran Shah has proved himself to be a good goalkeeper, Salman remains are No. 1 choice,” he said.
Zeeshan Ashraf, who led Pakistan to their first Asian Games gold in 20 years in China last year, has been hoping for a comeback but Hanif said that his days as an international player are over.
“Zeeshan has been out of our picture for almost a year and we believe that the team doesn’t need him any more.”
Speaking about Butt’s future, Hanif said that the “excellent show” of younger forwards in China has ended Butt’s hopes of returning to the national team.
“After receiving suggestions from several former Olympians included a couple of young forwards in the national team for the Asian Champions Trophy,” he said.
“In China our forwards — Shafqat Rasool, Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi and Rizwan were really good. We have been told by our coach and manager that there is no need to recall Rehan Butt because the youngsters are doing a great job.”
Pakistan will get back to work from Oct. 1 at a training camp in Abbottabad ahead of the tour of Australia to be held from Oct. 20 to Nov. 3.