A tricky test for ‘confident’ Bangladesh

With the target of cementing a place in the final of the Asian Games Qualifiers, Bangladesh hockey team will square off against hosts Thailand in Bangkok, Thailand today at 3:00 pm (Bangladesh Standard time) after Oman and Indonesia play the first semifinal. 
 
The last time the two nations locked horns was during the 2018 Asian Games, where Bangladesh handed a convincing 3-1 defeat to Thailand. And previously, the charges of Iman Gobinathan Krishnamurthy had also thumped Thailand 5-0 in the Asian Games Qualifiers in 2018 and 6-1 in the World League Round-1 in 2012.

"</strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Our main strength is the penalty corners but we can't stop the ball properly during a penalty corner due to the bumpy pitch as the ball is bouncing during the hard push while the opponent players are making blocks during the soft push,"

Rezaul Karim Babu, Captain, Bangladesh Hockey Team

However, this time around, the upcoming tie is likely to pose a serious challenge for the men in red and green, given the nature of weather and the turf in store.    
"We will definitely go there to win the match and we are not underestimating the opponents. Because, we don't want to take the previous records into account, rather we want to bank on the current performance," captain Rezaul Karim Babu told The Daily Star ahead of the match.
 
"The only headache is that the weather in Thailand is much hotter compared to our country but we will be trying to establish our control during the match. We are confident to win," said Babu, whose side stormed into the semifinals with wins against Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Singapore.
 
Bangladesh captain is also slightly concerned with the apparent goal-drought as the forwards have not been able to score like they did during the Asia Cup Qualifiers in Indonesia back in March.
 
"The forwards are not getting goals, but this isn't only our issue, rather it's a problem for all participating teams because the turf in Bangkok is bouncy, which makes the players struggle to control the ball.
 
"Our main strength is the penalty corners but we can't stop the ball properly during a penalty corner due to the bumpy pitch as the ball is bouncing during the hard push while the opponent players are making blocks during the soft push," Babu reiterated the issue with the Bangkok turf. 
 
"However, we are expecting to get everything into the right direction against Thailand, who will play in their familiar pitch and weather."