5 days ago
Pakistan pull out of Asia Cup
KUALA LUMPUR: Political tension between Pakistan and India is said to have led to the Green Shirts pulling out of the Asia Cup in Bihar from Aug 29-Sept 7.
Malaysian Hockey Confederation chief executive officer V. Jayanandan said the Asian federation announced on Monday three-time champions Pakistan's withdrawal, and Bangladesh are the replacement.
The eight teams for the Asia Cup, which also serves as a qualifier for the 2026 World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium, are hosts and world No. 8 India, Malaysia (No. 12), South Korea (No. 13), Japan (No. 18), China (No.22), Oman (No. 26) and Taiwan (No. 38).
Malaysia are drawn with defending champions South Korea, Oman and Taiwan, while the other group has India, Japan, China and Bangladesh.
