U-21s set for eight warm-ups before Junior Hockey World Cup

The Bangladesh U-21 national hockey team will play four practice matches against Malaysia this month and four more against Austria and Switzerland next month as part of their preparation for the FIH Men's Hockey Junior World Cup in November in India.

Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) general secretary Lt Col (retd) Riazul Hasan disclosed the plans at a press conference yesterday. Head coach Siegfried Gottlieb Aikman, who has been in charge for 15 days, also shared updates on the progress of Bangladesh, who have been placed in Pool F alongside Australia, France, and Switzerland.

"We initially approached Pakistan for warm-up matches, but they declined citing problems. Then we talked to Malaysia, who agreed. The team will leave early on September 24," said Hasan, adding that they are also trying to arrange two more matches as Malaysia will host a tournament at the same time.

"After returning from Malaysia, the team will continue training in Bangladesh before leaving for Switzerland to play four matches against Switzerland and Austria. They will then travel to India five days before the tournament begins," he added.

Asked about the team's progress under his guidance, Aikman said: "We are making progress step by step. We want to change many things, and the core is to understand that we are not the best team there. We need to be humble, play effectively and efficiently. That's what I'm trying to teach them now."

Aikman emphasised improving the team's defensive organisation, noting that Bangladesh often concede goals due to lapses in defensive support.

"I hope the players will develop a better understanding of hockey and of their roles and responsibilities during matches," said the experienced Dutch coach.

Meanwhile, BHF has yet to finalise the schedule for a best-of-three series against Pakistan, which will determine who advances to the qualification round of the FIH World Cup Qualifiers. Hasan said they will likely confirm the dates later this month, as they do not want to disrupt the U-21 team's World Cup preparations.