The Bangladesh Hockey Federation named an 18-member squad for the ongoing Men’s Asian Games Qualifier 2022. The tournament is taking place in the city of Bangkok, Thailand from May 6th to May 15th. The top six teams will qualify for the main event. The Bangladesh team started their qualification campaign with a 3-1 victory over Indonesia on Saturday. Let's have a look at the Bangladesh men's hockey team's squad and their fixtures for the qualifying tournament.
Bangladesh Men’s Hockey Squad for the 2022 Asian Games Qualifier
The BHF cut the preliminary team from 36 to 18 on April 27 after a one-week fitness camp at BKSP, Savar, in preparation for the Men's Asian Games Qualifier 2022 in Thailand. Rezaul Karim Babu was promoted to captain, while Milon Hossain was named deputy skipper. Malaysian Iman Gobinathan Krishnamurthy will coach the Bangladesh team during the main event. The Bangladeshi squad flew from Dhaka to Bangkok to compete in the qualifiers on May 4.
Squad
Rezaul Karim Babu (Captain), Milon Hossain (Vice-Captain), Biplob Kujur, Abu Sayeed Nippon, Arshad Hossain, Pushkor Khisha Mimo, Khorshedur Rahman, Farhd Ahmed Shitul, Naim Uddin, Fazle Hossain Rabbi, Prince Lal Samanta, Rasel Mahmud Jimmy, Ashraful Islam, Sohanur Rahman Sabuz, Mehedi Hasan, Sarwar Hossain, Roman Sarkar, and Rakibul Hasan.
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Bangladesh's Schedule for the Men’s Asian Games Qualifier 2022
A total of 12 teams will play in the Asian Games main event. Six teams have already qualified, and they are India, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and the host China. The rest of the six teams will be determined through the qualifier competition.
Thailand is hosting the qualifier tournament for the Men’s Asian Games 2022. All the matches of the competition will take place at the Queen Sirikit Commemorative Stadium. There are two groups in the competition – Pool A and Pool B. Thailand, Uzbekistan, Oman, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan are competing against each other in Pool B. On the other hand, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Indonesia are competing against each other in Pool B.
As per the tournament format, the top six teams will secure a place in the main event. The top two teams in Pool A and Pool B will earn a place in the Asian Games main event. The remaining two teams will be determined through fifth to eighth place matches.
Read Asian Games hockey qualifiers: Bangladesh beat Indonesia 3-1
The tournament kicked off with a game between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan, which Uzbekistan won 4-2. Bangladesh got off to a good start in the competition, defeating Indonesia comfortably on Saturday (May 7). Bangladesh will play Sri Lanka on May 10 and Singapore on May 12, respectively, in their final two matches.
Bangladesh team’s 2022 Asian Games Qualifier fixtures
|
Date |
Fixture |
Venue |
|
May 7, 2022 (Saturday) |
Bangladesh vs Indonesia Result (3-1 win for Bangladesh) |
Queen Sirikit Commemorative Stadium |
|
May 10, 2022 (Tuesday) |
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka |
Queen Sirikit Commemorative Stadium |
|
March 12, 2022 (Thursday) |
Bangladesh vs Singapore |
Queen Sirikit Commemorative Stadium |
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_2022_Asian_Games_%E2%80%93_Men%27s_Qualifier#Pool_B
Read Bangladesh Hockey team to leave for Bangkok on May 4 to participate in Asian Games Qualifiers
Bottom Line
Bangladesh are one of the top teams competing in the qualifiers. Therefore, they have a good chance of finishing in the top two spots in Pool B in the Men's Asian Games Qualifier 2022. Bangladesh will qualify for the main event in China if they finish in the top two teams in Pool B. This qualifying round will also serve as a warm-up for them. Bangladesh will get useful experience from the competition, which will help them play better in the Asian Games later this year if they qualify.