Patiently waiting for a chance to shine in national colours, the Bangladesh Under-21 hockey team will be eager to prove their worth in the upcoming AHF U-21 Cup to be held at Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium from this Sunday.
The expectation was revealed yesterday by the head coach of the U-21 team Mamunur Rashid and skipper Mohammed Sarwar Hossain while reflecting upon the recently-concluded tour of India. The youngsters played seven matches in India and won six of them.
In the first match on November 5 the visitors trounced SAI Academy 5-1, the following day they thumped Centre of Excellence 6-1, on November 7 they strolled past Chandigarh XI 6-0, the following day they defeated
Mohali XI 4-2, on November 10 they outplayed NIS 4-0, the following day they overpowered Jharkand XI 7-2 before losing their last match against Haryana XI 2-1.
Mamun praised his charges and said they are ready to represent the country at the national level. Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) officials, Mamun and Sarwar thanked Islami Bank for extending their support as the sponsor. Abdus Sadek Bhuiyan, head of the bank’s development wing and Rafiul Islam, Wing Commander and spokesperson of the BHF president were present in the programme.
In the meantime, most of the national players apart from Pushkor Khisa Mimo and Hasan Jubair Niloy reported to Mamun yesterday. The national camp for the upcoming Hockey World League round 2 will begin today.