Seniors return ahead of Asiad Hockey Qualifiers

The Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) has announced a 37-member preliminary squad for the Men’s Asian Games Qualification Hockey Tournament, which will be held in Muscat, the capital of Oman, from 25 March to 5 April.

The squad marks the return of former national team captain Puskar Khisa Mimo along with experienced players Naim Uddin, Mainul Islam Kowshik and Mahbub Hossain, who were dropped from the national setup in August last year due to fitness issues.

Their inclusion comes after nearly five months outside the national camp. Alongside the senior players, several Under-21 national team stars, including Amirul Islam and Rakibul Hasan Rocky, have also been called up.

The preparatory camp for the tournament will begin on 5 February at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium and will continue for around 40 days. After completing the camp, the team is expected to leave the country for Oman on 22 or 23 March.

The BHF has decided to run the camp under the guidance of local coaches and will not appoint any foreign coach for this short-term assignment, BHF General Secretary Lt Col (retd) Riazul Hasan confirmed.

On the first day of the camp, all 37 players have been instructed to report to the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium at 7am to take part in the Cooper fitness test.

Reacting to his recall, former skipper Mimo said the sudden call-up for the fitness test would be challenging due to the absence of competitive hockey in the country during his time away from the team.

“I have been out of the national team for nearly five months since the last Asia Cup. During this period, there were no domestic hockey competitions, so maintaining match fitness was difficult. I did some light practice and running occasionally, but not at a competitive level. Still, I’m hopeful after receiving the call-up,” Mimo said.

Preliminary squad: Biplob Kujur, Abu Sayeed Nippon, Nuruzzaman Nayan, Ashraful Haque Saad, Yeasin Arafat Himel, Mahmud Hasan, Ashraful Islam, Farhad Ahmed Shitul, Shohanur Rahman Sobuj, Huzaifa Hossain, Amirul Islam, Rezaul Karim Babu, Mehedi Hasan, Mehrab Hossain Samin, Aman Sharif, Pritom Roy, Roman Sarkar, Fazle Hossain Rabbi, Abed Uddin, Al Nahian Shuvo, Tanvir Rahman Siam, Shahidur Rahman Saju, Tayyeb Ali, Rahid Hossain Jibon, Obaidul Hossain Joy, Naim Uddin, Rakibul Hasan Rocky, Arshad Hossain, Puskar Khisa Mimo, Mahbub Hossain, Abdullah, Mainul Islam Kowshik, Din Islam Emon, Tanzim Ahmed, Rajib Das, Shimul Islam and Khaled Mahmud Rakib