International Super Hockey Series: Pakistan denied place in final

New Zealand hold Greenshirts to draw, qualify for final against Australia.

PERTH: Pakistan missed out on the opportunity to contest in the final of the nine-a-side International Super Hockey Series tournament after drawing a league match against New Zealand 1-1.

Pakistan needed to beat New Zealand in order to book a place in the final against Australia, which will now see the Kiwis facing off against their trans-Tasman neighbours. The Greenshirts will contest the third place playoff match against India today.

Pakistan drew first blood when Shafqat Rasool found the net in the seventh minute but the Kiwis hit back to equalise just before the breather through Joel Baker.

Pakistan could still have secured a last-gasp win when they won a short corner in the dying moments of the match. However, goal-keeper Hamish McGregor was able to block an attempted pass to help secure a place in the final for his team.

Chief selector satisfied

Despite Pakistan’s failure to reach the final, the Pakistan Hockey Federation chief selector Hanif Khan termed the team’s performance satisfactory.

“Our players played well and I can’t criticise them for not making it to the final,” Khan told The Express Tribune. “Australia are a well-prepared side. New Zealand were always the underdogs but they’re physically fit. On the other hand, our team had never played in this format before.

“I think Pakistan showed confidence. Judging by their performance, I believe that Pakistan can become one of the best nine-a-side teams in coming years.”

According to Khan, the series has set a good momentum for Pakistan for the rest of the Australian tour, which will see them play five matches against Australia and two against India next week.

Khan conceded that Australia will be the strong favourites in the upcoming series, but the matches between Pakistan and India will be closely contested affairs.

“Australia will win, that goes without saying. But India and Pakistan will give each other a tough time. After the way we’ve played and trained, we should make it to the top four of the Champions Trophy in December.”

Meanwhile, Australia thrashed India 4-1 in the last league match of the event. India had a slim chance to qualify for the final but they needed to beat the hosts by a big margin.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2011.