Bangladesh drawn in easier pool
The Bangladesh hockey team have been drawn in the comparatively easier Pool A alongside Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia and Afghanistan for the upcoming Asian Games Qualifying Round to be held in Oman from March 8.
The tougher Pool B consists of Oman, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals of the nine-team tournament.
However, the top five placed teams and Indonesia will qualify for the Asian Games to be held in Indonesia in August-September.
Bangladesh have previous experience of playing matches against Hong Kong and Thailand, but they have never played against Afghanistan or Indonesia.
However, coach Mahbub Harun had full faith in his boys to come up with the goods and said they were aiming for the title.
"Our ultimate target is to win the tournament and qualify for the Asian Games. Although we don't have any idea about Indonesia or Afghanistan, I believe our players have the ability to become champions," said Harun.
Bangladesh begin their campaign against Afghanistan on March 9 and then play Thailand, Hong Kong and Indonesia respectively in the span of four days from March 9.
The semifinals and the final are billed for March 15 and 17 respectively.
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