The junior Asia Cup is supposed to be a qualifying event for the junior World Cup, but no one knows how many spots are available

ON the eve of one of the biggest clashes of the junior Asia Cup, it’s hard not to wonder about the relevance of the event. India take on Pakistan in the first semi-final on Wednesday, but events off the field have ensured no one’s sure what, apart from a place in the final, is up for grabs.

This tournament is supposed to be a qualifying event for the junior World Cup, to be jointly hosted by Malaysia and Singapore next year. It was initially planned as a 10-team event, with six teams qualifying for the big one. But with China and Thailand pulling out, there is confusion over how many teams will actually make it to the World Cup from here.

“We are having a meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation council on the 17th (July) and a decision will be taken only then,” said AHF president P Alagendra. However, the tournament director here, K Ramamoorthy of Singapore, has a different take. “Since the junior World Cup is an FIH-organised event, the decision on how many teams will qualify (from Asia) will be decided by them and that decision will be taken during the Olympics.”

Which seems bizarre, given that the tournament is currently underway and it seems only fair for the teams to have a clear idea on what they are chasing. In the last junior World Cup, there were four Asianteamsoutof16.Withthe pool extended to 20 this time, one would have expected a proportional increase in Asian representation.

As for Wednesday’s big match, Pakistan will have a slight edge over the hosts.

Apart from an impressive forward line, they have a proven drag-flicker in Kashif Ali, with Mohammad Ateeq remaining an unknown quantity.