Australia down Pakistan to clinch maiden title

Defeat Colts 3-1 in Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia

KARACHI: The Pakistan U21 hockey team had to settle for a silver medal at the Sultan of Johor Cup despite a brave performance against pre-tournament favourites Australia in the final in Johor Bahru, Malaysia yesterday.

Pakistan lost 3-1 even though they had taken a 1-0 lead early in the match, only to be pegged back by a rampant Australia side, who remained unbeaten in the tournament.

The Colts took the lead in the sixth minute courtesy Hassan Anwar’s successful conversion of a penalty corner, but their advantage didn’t last long as Frazer Gerrard levelled the score seven minutes later with an unstoppable shot.

Despite a spirited performance by Pakistan — who improved splendidly against a side that had scored eight past them in their last encounter — the Australians took the lead in the 45th minute through a penalty corner converted by Blake Govers.

Australia then sealed the win in the dying moments of the game to claim their maiden Sultan of Johor crown.

Pakistan captain Muhammad Dilber Hussain was more than happy with his team’s performance. “We did our best; all the players did really well against a strong team like Australia that had defeated us 8-1 in the last outing,” Hussain told The Express Tribune. “We were relatively inexperienced when compared to the other teams in the tournament and I am extremely proud of our team with the way we played.”

Coach Tahir Zaman said the experience from this tournament will help the team prepare for the upcoming Junior Hockey World Cup. “We adopted a different strategy this time and played a counter-attacking game. It worked to a certain extent but I’m sure the players will learn from this, especially with the World Cup around the corner.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2016.

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