Bangladesh women's team secured fifth place in the Under-20 Women's Junior Asia Cup Hockey tournament held in Hulunbuir, China, after defeating strong Malaysia 2-1. The red-green representatives fought hard throughout the match to clinch the title. The victory has given Bangladesh a bright prospect of playing in the Under-20 Women's World Cup from the Asia Cup.

In the first half of the match, neither team scored a goal due to the defensive tactics of both teams. However, Bangladesh took control of the match by increasing the pace of attack in the second half. In the third quarter, captain Sharika Safa Rimon scored a perfect shot from the penalty stroke to put the team ahead. Then, in the fourth quarter, Kona made the difference 2-0 with a wonderful field goal. In the last half of the match, Malaysia paid a goal to reduce the difference to 2-1, but in the end, Bangladesh left the field with a victory.

According to the rules, the top four teams in this tournament will directly qualify for the U-20 Women's World Cup. However, if India hosts the World Cup, Bangladesh's path to playing in the World Cup as the fifth team may be smooth, said head coach Zahid Hossain Raju. He said that the Asian Hockey Federation has mentioned such a possibility and the matter will be officially confirmed in the next few days. He also mentioned that his team was undefeated champions in the Challenger Group and fought against Japan in the Elite Group and the result could have been better if they had more warm-up matches.

It is worth noting that under BKSP head coach Zahid Hossain Raju, the Bangladesh national women's hockey team has qualified for the Asian Games for the first time. The success of the junior team marks another step in the progress of the country's women's hockey. In addition, the Bangladesh U-20 men's team is scheduled to take the field in the seventh place match in the men's division of this tournament on Saturday afternoon.