The holders have been placed in a tough group that also includes hosts Pakistan and newcomers Afghanistan. On the other hand Group B comprises 1999 runners-up Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. The Maldives withdrew from this section just a few days before the football event kicked off.

Bangladesh play their second match on Tuesday against the Afghans before ending with Pakistan on April 1 at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad.

Midfielder Monwar Hossain, the only survivor of the 1999 winning team, will lead the Bangladesh Under-23 team in the competition.

However, this time coach Shahidur Rahman Shantoo has not had enough time to prepare his charges for the event. The team played just one practice match before flying to Islamabad. Besides, they drew 1-1 on Friday against Pakistan Army in a warm-up game.

Going into the match, Bangladesh can boast of success in the previous two meetings with their next-door neighbours. First the national side eliminated the Indians in the semifinals when the regional Games were staged in Kathmandu. And last January they beat them in the SAFF Champion-ship final at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The seven-team football competition began two days before the official opening of the largest sports gathering of South Asia on March 29.

BANGLADESH SQUAD
Masud Parvez, Rashed Ahmed, Ashraful Kader, Abdullah Al Parvez, Aminul Islam, Mehedi Hasan Ujjal, Mustafa Anwar Parvez, Firoz Mahmud Hossain Titoo, Zahid Hasan Emily, Monwar Hossain (captain), Mohammed Sujon, Ziaur Rahman, Atiqul Islam Tariq, Ashraful Karim, Arman Aziz, Kamal Hossain, Haris-uz-Zaman, Zahidul Hasan Dalim, Yousuf Ali Khan and Akram Hossain.

Meanwhile, members of the volleyball, athletics, Wrestling, Karate, Kabaddi, boxing, badminton, table tennis and taekando teams left the city yesterday.

Earlier the first advance party comprising football, shooting, swimming and weightlifting flew out to Pakistan on March 22.