Bangladesh thrash Kazakhstan to ensure Asia Cup berth

Bangladesh ensured their Asia Cup berth while moving into the final of the AHF Cup following an 8-1 thrashing of Kazakhstan in the second semifinal in Jakarta on Saturday.

Ashraful Islam scored four goals while Khorshedur Rahman added two as the three-time defending champions cruised into Sunday's final, where they would meet Oman, the latter beating Sri Lanka 2-1 in the first semifinal earlier on Saturday.

All those six goals were scored from penalty corners before Rasel Mahmud Jimmy and Sohanur Rahman Sabuj added two field goals. Kazakhstan scored a consolation goal in the fourth quarter of the match.

The top two teams of the AHF Cup – Asia's second-tier hockey competition – will be joined by India, Pakistan, Korea, Japan, Malaysia and hosts Indonesia in the Asia Cup, which will be held in Jakarta in May-June this year.

Bangladesh, the three-time defending champions of AHF Cup, will meet Oman in the final today. Bangladesh had beaten Oman 3-2 in the group stages.