Most observers would award Amirul Islam top marks for his extraordinary performance at Bangladesh’s debut Junior Hockey World Cup campaign. But the rising drag-flick sensation rated himself 70 out of 100—despite scoring a tournament-high 18 goals, including five hat-tricks in just six matches.
Amirul opened the scoring with Bangladesh’s first-ever World Cup goal during their 5-3 defeat to Australia in the opening match. He went on to score two more to complete his first hat-trick.
Bangladesh produced a remarkable comeback in their next match against South Korea, rallying from 3-0 down. Amirul’s brilliant second-half hat-trick secured their first point of the tournament.
He was on target again in the final group match, scoring once against defending runners-up France in a narrow 3-2 loss.
Amirul then delivered three consecutive hat-tricks in the 17th–24th place classification phase as Bangladesh won all three matches to finish 17th and lift the Challenger Trophy.
Powered by Amirul’s five goals, Bangladesh thrashed Oman 13-0, before beating South Korea 5-3 and edging Austria 5-4 in a thriller. All of his goals came from penalty corners and penalty strokes.
Although primarily a defender, Amirul also impressed with several crucial clearances at the back.
His tally of 18 goals and five hat-tricks in six matches stands as a historic achievement—one that will be remembered not only in Bangladesh hockey but also in Junior World Cup history.
Asked what score he would give himself, Amirul told Dhaka Tribune,
“I would give 70.”
When asked why, he replied that he could have done better and scored even more.
Amirul was quick to credit his teammates, saying he wouldn’t have reached such numbers without their support. He also acknowledged the guidance of the coaching staff for their crucial roles in his development.
Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) general secretary Riazul Hasan, however, rated him higher.
“It’s a unique achievement. I would give him 80,” Riazul told Dhaka Tribune.
Head coach Siegfried Aikman and others described finishing above seven teams in Bangladesh’s maiden World Cup appearance as “massive.”
Amirul felt the team could have done even better, especially in the group-stage matches against France and South Korea, believing they were capable of reaching the top 16.
“If we had better preparation and made fewer mistakes, we would have done better,” he said.
When asked about the secret behind his goal-laden campaign, Amirul didn’t elaborate, saying only that he tried to perform well. Riazul offered some context.
Alongside quality coaching, hard work, and discipline, he said,
“Amirul has been trying for a long time. He practices on his own. He spends extra time at training.”
Amirul later admitted that he arrives early for practice to spend more time with the stick.
Born and raised in Faridpur—long known as a hockey hub that produced many national players—Amirul took his first hockey lessons from his uncle, a local coach.
He later joined BKSP, from where every member of Bangladesh’s current Junior World Cup squad graduated. Amirul made his junior debut in 2019 and his senior international debut in 2022, but had never scored this many goals in a single tournament until now.
Now, his ultimate dream is clear: to help Bangladesh qualify for the senior World Cup for the first time in history.
