Pakistan have officially secured their place in the upcoming Hockey World Cup qualifiers after convincingly defeating Bangladesh in the Asia Play-Off Series. On Friday at the Maulana Bhasani Stadium, Pakistan thrashed Bangladesh 8–0 in the second match, displaying clear superiority from the opening minutes. By half-time, Pakistan were already 4–0 ahead, leaving little doubt about the eventual result.
The tone of the series had already been set on Thursday, when Pakistan claimed an 8–2 victory in the first match. With two straight wins in the three-match series, Pakistan have sealed the series 2–0 even before the final match scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Regardless of the outcome of that final fixture, Pakistan’s qualification for the World Cup play-offs is now guaranteed.
Given Pakistan’s illustrious hockey history—they are former world champions—it was expected that they would dominate. Bangladesh have never beaten Pakistan at any level, nor have they managed to secure a draw. The gap in class and experience was evident throughout both matches.
Sufiyan Khan opened the scoring in the sixth minute from a penalty corner. Wahid Ashraf doubled the lead shortly afterwards. Abu Sufiyan scored again in the 19th minute, and just before half-time, Rana Wahid found the net to make it 4–0.
Pakistan continued to apply pressure after the break. Shahid Ashraf, Arfaz and Wahid Ashraf each added goals before captain Ahmed Butt sealed the commanding 8–0 victory in the 59th minute. Over the two matches, Pakistan scored 16 goals, while Bangladesh managed only two.
With the series already decided, Sunday’s match will be little more than a formality. Pakistan now turn their attention to the World Cup qualifiers scheduled for February–March, while Bangladesh face the task of rebuilding and improving for future competitions.
