KARACHI: Pakistani colts clinched the second Under-16 Hockey Asia Cup title, beating Bangladesh 5-2 in the summit clash in Singapore on Sunday. Muhammad Atiq scored twice, while Sikandar Mustafa, Shan Irshad and Adeel Latif scored one goal each for the victors.

Coach Rehan Butt showered praises on his team’s young players and said that the boys played brilliantly throughout the tournament and deserved the title. “Throughout the tournament our players played with great determination and I think they deserve the event’s title,” said Olympian Rehan Butt, who has started his coaching stint with the young team but is yet to retire from international hockey.

Pakistan recorded huge victories throughout the tournament and in many matches scored more than dozen goals. “The five-a-side format offers players gaps and if a team plays as one unit than they get a lot of chance to score. Our players played as a team, which was the reason they were able to pull off big victories and eventually win title,” he added.

“I believe these players in the years to come will be able to help lift the performance of the national team,” Rehan said.

Chief coach and manager Tahir Zaman also said that young players worked hard to prepare for the tournament.

The other eight teams that participated in the tournament were Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Kazakhstan.