Jimmy returns to hockey camp after one-and-half year

Experienced campaigner Rasel Mahmud Jimmy has returned to the Bangladesh national hockey team’s preliminary squad for upcoming Asian Games after the former national captain was kept away from the national team for nearly one-and-half year.

The move was made on Thursday soon as the newly appointed ad-hoc committee of Bangladesh Hockey Federation has reformed the previous selection committee by drafting in Sajed A A Adel, Mahbub Harun and Ariful Haque Prince, who, apart from Jimmy, also recalled five more experienced players -- Pushkor Khisa Mimo, Nayeem Islam, Abu Sayeed Nippon, Md. Shishir, and Shahidul Haq Saikat -- who will join 38 members in ongoing camp on Saturday.

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Jimmy was excluded from a 60-member preliminary of the AFC Cup’s squad in early February last year by the then ad-hoc committee, which cited Jimmy’s age was reason behind his exclusion. Jimmy’s exclusion also sparked criticism, giving the experienced player no chance to prove himself in the beef test as well as the training camp, but the then committee did not pay heed to it.

Jimmy time and again called his exclusion injustice and hoped to get justice as soon as the ad-hoc committee would be replaced. The 39-year-old hockey player finally received the national call after newly appointed ad-hoc committee, led by Istiaque Sadeque, came in chair.

BHF joint secretary Ariful Haque Prince said, “Soon after taking the responsibility, we promised not to discriminate or make any wrong towards the national team’s players, so we have already confirmed the foreign coaches for the team.

“Then we have recalled six players who were not considered for the two years despite having on form. We have just paved the way for them to prove them again in the national camp under the foreign coach and the selection committee and hope they can return to the squad showing the performance,” said former hockey player Prince, who is also a member of the selection committee.