Pakistan are unfazed by Hamza Choudhury’s impact in Bangladesh’s 4-0 rout of Sri Lanka, with captain and goalkeeper Yousuf Ijaz Butt backing his side’s own diaspora recruits to match the hosts in Saturday’s semifinal at the National Stadium.
Bangladesh have been boosted by the arrival of UK-based Hamza and Farhaan Ali Wahid, while Pakistan have also strengthened their squad with five players of overseas origin ahead of the last-four clash.
“I don’t care about Hamza, I care about playing my good friend Jamal Bhuyan. So for them, they’re good players, but we have very good players.”
Pakistan began their campaign with a 3-2 defeat to India before bouncing back with a 3-0 win over Maldives. They were without several key players in those opening matches, as five overseas-based regulars — captain Abdullah Iqbal, Easah Suliman, Ali Akbar Khan, Adil Nabi and Abdul Samad Arshad — joined the squad after the opening of the FIFA international window.
Among the arrivals, Sweden-based centre-back Iqbal brings experience of UEFA Champions League qualifying matches, while former England youth international Suliman, now with Azerbaijan’s Sumgayit FK, adds to Pakistan’s defensive options. Adil Nabi, a former West Bromwich Albion academy product currently playing in Greece, strengthens their midfield, while Denmark-based attacker Abdul Samad and forward Ali Akbar Khan offer further options in attack.
“There’s a lot of talk about Hamza Choudhury, but we have Abdullah Iqbal, we have Easah Suliman, we have Adil Nabi, we have Abdul Arshad. So I feel that they’re amazing players. I guarantee you we will have amazing players as well,” Butt told reporters at the Bashundhara Kings Arena on Friday.
“The preparation has been good. So those five boys can go in and help the team. But again, it is all about the team, not about any individuals. We as a collective will inshallah go and give our best against Bangladesh and hopefully it will be enough,” he added.
Butt refrained from predicting the outcome of Saturday’s match but welcomed the introduction of VAR for the semifinals, believing it could help ease the pressure of playing against the home side.
“Bangladesh and Pakistan always play some good matches. Back in 2018 (during the SAFF Championship in Dhaka), they got very lucky to win the game with one own goal.
“So this time around, we know that there’s good pressure from the Bangladesh crowd, but I would say personally I am happy that there will be Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to assist. That will be a big help for us. There’s a lot of pressure when a home team is playing in front of the fans. I am happy that it can be a little bit more structured in that sense. So, I’m looking forward to it,” said Butt.
The Pakistan captain is also hoping to face defending champions India in the final, although he insisted that his immediate focus remains on Bangladesh.
“I hope so, I really want to play against India again because it was a very, very, very bad game we played against them in the last 12 to 13 years… but one game at a time. Now it’s Bangladesh.”
