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Oman the target as hockey team eye title

Sports Reporter
Bangladesh national hockey team will leave for Oman tonight to take part in the Asian Games Qualifiers with the aim of g retaining the title of the eight-team tournament beginning in Muscat on March 8.
Bangladesh and the hosts are tipped as favourites for the title, with five out of the eight teams slated to qualify for the Jakarta Asian Games later this year.
Securing a place in the Asian Games is expected to be an easy task for Bangladesh, so the men in green and red are more focused on defending the title
Oman, however, are expected to give quite a bit of challenge as they have had good preparation in build-up for the tournament, having hosted two tournaments including a four-nation tournament last month which featured Asian giants Pakistan. Furthermore, the Arab nation drew attention with their attacking approach during the Asia Cup in Dhaka last year even though they had to be satisfied with an eighth-place finish, two places behind Bangladesh.
On the other hand, Bangladesh have taken nearly two months' preparation without playing any practice match. They are supposed to play one warm-up match tomorrow against Kazakhstan, a
team which previously both won and lost against Bangladesh during the 1993 Asia Cup.
“I believe the group-stage matches will be comparatively easier for us and we will be able to find out our weaknesses before going into the semifinals and final," captain Rasel Mahmud Jimmy said during the jersey unveiling programme at the Falcon Hall in the capital yesterday.
"We don't have any pressure to defend the title; rather it is our responsibility to strengthen Our position in the tournament. If we can put our best and carry out the plan against the opponents, whom we know very well, it will be easy for us to ensure victory in every match," said Jimmy, who however admitted that they are mentally behind Oman, who beat Bangladesh a few times in recent past.
"Our target is the final and also to play good hockey with Oman against whom we did not play well in a few matches. Now we have to prove that we are better than them," said Jimmy.
Coach Mahbub Harun, too, kept his eyes on the title and injected fresh blood into the squad, dropping experienced players like Pushkor Khisha Mimo, Imran Hasan Pinto and Kamruzzaman Rana.
"We have brought some changes in the build-up game and we are trying to attack through the flanks. I think the
boys have also understood it and implementing the strategy nicely. Now our concentration will be to score from penalty corners in the tournament," said long-serving coach.
First Security Islami Bank has come
forward to sponsor the team by providing Tk 25 lakh while Biman Bangladesh Airlines gave discount on all air tickets. All these information were revealed at the press briefing where Bangladesh Hockey Federation's president Air chief
Marshal Abu Esrar, general secretary Abdus Sadeque, First Security Islami Bank's managing director Syed Waseque Ali and Biman Bangladesh's Airlines' managing director and CEO A M Mosaddique Ahmed were also present.