MUMBAI: Pakistan’s invitation to the 27th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup has been rescinded.
The Star reports that Asian Hockey Federation chief executive officer Tayab Ikram and Perak Hockey Association secretary M Selvakumaran confirmed the rescindment on Thursday but no reasons were given for dropping Pakistan from the tournament.
With Pakistan out of the fray, only six teams – world No. 1 Australia, Argentina (No. 2), India (No. 6) England (No. 7), Ireland (No. 10) and Malaysia (No. 12) – will be part of the Azlan Shah Cup that will be held from 2-10 March 2018 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.
Pakistan were invited for the tournament a few days ago, but with the rescission, there is speculation that powerhouse India could be behind the latest move to have the country removed from participation in the annual tournament.
