The PHF also named Ghazanfar Ali as captain in place of Mohammad Saqlain, who was banned for 3 games.
The ace full-back was named in the 18-man team for the Champions Trophy hockey tournament.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation said it would not consider the trio of Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Saqlain and Waseem Ahmed for selection because they deserted the team.
The drag flick ace scored a hat-trick as Pakistan beat India 3-2 in the Azlan Shah hockey tournament.
The drag flick ace scored four times from penalty-corners as Pakistan won 5-3 in the Olympic hockey qualifer in Madrid.
The penalty-corner ace scored twice in a 4-2 win over Canada in the men's Olympic hockey qualifier.
The ace Pakistani drag-flicker has decided to return to international hockey and help Pakistan rediscover their winning ways.
Pakistan's penalty-corner ace, who equaled Paul Litjens's record as the leading goal scorer in hockey, says he is not in the same league as the former Dutch ace.
He is one of the most lethal drag-flickers the world has ever seen, but for Taeke Taekema Pakistan's Sohail Abbas is the 'king of penalty corners' just by the sheer magnitude of his conversion rate.
Drag flick specialist Sohail Abbas is expected to make his return to international hockey in the proposed Test series against India early next year. The 31-year-old penalty corner specialist holds the record for the highest number of goals scored in international hockey. He has scored 274 goals, surpassing Dutch legend Paul Litjens's record a few years back.
Pakistan skipper Waseem Ahmed also announced his retirement from international hockey.
Pakistan's Sohail Abbas converted two penalty corners to clear past the Kiwis 3-1 in the Champions Trophy match.
After retiring from international hockey in 2012, Abbas kept a low profile. He took up his first coaching role as an assistant coach for penalty corners with the Malaysia national team in October 2024.
Mohammad Saqlain will lead the Pakistan side in the hockey World Cup in Germany next month.
Waiting for ministry confirmation, but good decision to give Pak the nod: Tirkey
The duo were left out of the squad for the twin series in Australia on disciplinary grounds.
Pakistan's penalty-corner ace however said he would be available for major tournaments if the country needs him.
World's leading goal scorer Sohail Abbas and former Pakistan captain Waseem Ahmed will add glamour to the Premier Hockey League.
The drag flick ace rallied Pakistan to a 4-3 win over the World champions in the Azlan Shah hockey tournament.
The ace drag flicker scored a hat-trick as Hyderabad Sultans crushed Bangalore Hi-Fiers 5-2 in the Tier-I Premier Hockey League match.
Fourteen Pakistan hockey players, including star penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas, have signed up for the inaugural Hockey India League to be held from January 5 to February 3 next year.
Pakistan's hopes for their first Olympic hockey medal since 1992 lie mostly in the 29-year-old drag flick expert.
Senior players Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi were on Wednesday dropped from the 18-member Pakistan squad for next month's Azlan Shah hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.
The selectors have also put Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Musa Khan and Mohammad Nawaz on standby to cover for any player who fails pre-tour COVID-19 Testing scheduled later this month.
Aayush Sharma's spy thriller Ruslaan hits theatres this week, and his famous brother-in-law Salman Khan unleashed his star power to back him up.
Penalty-corner ace Sohail Abbas, goalkeeper Ahmad Alam, forwards Shabbir Hussain and Kashif Jawad have been left out of the 16-member squad for the Afro Asian Games.
Sohail Abbas and Waseem Ahmed have been included in the squad for the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas destroyed Australia, picking up five wickets in both innings, as the hosts won the second and final Test by a huge margin of 373 runs to clinch the series 1-0.
Sohail Abbas has redefined the art of playing hockey.
The Asian hockey powerhouse beat Egypt 7-0 in front of hundreds of fans who danced for joy as big-gun penalty shooter Sohail Abbas eased into a groove.
India crashed to their fourth successive defeat in the men's Olympic hockey competition, thrashed 4-1 by South Korea on Sunday. India is the only team among 12 competing at these Games without a point from five matches.
India squandered a three-goal lead and were held 3-3 by arch-rivals Pakistan in an ill-tempered match, in the double leg tri-nation hockey tournament in Busselton, Australia, on Friday.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation on Wednesday recalled senior players Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Zeeshan Ashraf, who had announced their retirement after the team finished bottom of the heap in the World Cup in India. The PHF also recalled Waseem Ahmed and Salman Akbar for a national camp, from June 20, in Karachi, to prepare for a tour of Europe ahead of the Commonwealth and Asian Games.
World champions Australia showed their class with a 5-1 thrashing of Pakistan to maintain their unbeaten streak in the Azlan Shah hockey tournament in Ipoh on Monday.
Star Pakistani drag-flicker Sohail Abbas felt sorry for Shivendra Singh but said the FIH "must have taken a correct decision" while banning the Indian striker for two matches in the hockey World Cup
New Zealand qualified for next year's elite Champions Trophy after scoring a 4-2 win over Pakistan in the final of the Champions Challenge Hockey tournament in Salta (Argentina).
Leg-spinner Shah's selection was subject to the 35-year-old clearing a fitness test, chief selector Mohammad Wasim said in a statement.
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