LAHORE: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced a 34-member squad for the upcoming four-nation tournament in Saudi Arabia, former captain Hajra Khan excluded.
Hajra, who led Pakistan’s women’s team since 2014, was a part of the team that partook in the recently-held South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) despite being replaced by Maria Khan as captain.
Meanwhile, the veteran striker, however, has been dropped by the PFF for the national women’s team’s upcoming assignment as she is not included in the 34-member squad.
The 34 shortlisted players will participate in the training camp, scheduled to commence on December 8 to prepare for their second major assignment since the revival of football in the country.
The Green Shirts will feature in the four-nation tournament from January 11 to 19, the remaining three teams include hosts Saudi Arabia, Mauritius and Comoros.
Earlier, the green shirts participated in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) championship after an eight-year hiatus.
After losing to India and Bangladesh, Pakistan thrashed Maldives 7-0 to conclude their first international tournament on a winning note.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan women’s football team also marked their return to FIFA rankings after a six-year absence.
Following their reinstation in the rankings table, the green shirts occupied the 160th rank with a total of 928.4 points.
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Nisha Ashraf, Rumesa Khan, Hadiqa Zafar, Fatima Naz and Mafia Parveen.
Defenders: Malika e Noor, Eeshal Fayyaz, Eschal Sheikh, Mishal Bhatti, Nazalia Siddiqui, Sahar Zaman, Sahiba Sherdil, Sara Khan and Sophiya Qureshi.
Midfielders: Maria Khan, Alina Isphani, Alina Akram, Aliza Sabir, Amina Hanif, Ammal Khan, Anushey Usman, Marvi Baig, Rameen Fareed, Ruqqya Farheen, Sanober Sattar, Suha Hirani and Zehmina Malik.
Forwards: Nadia Khan, Aliya Sadiq, Anmol Hira, Kainat Abdul Ghani, Nadia Shams, Naqiyah Ali and Zoya Zeeshan.
