LAHORE: Pakistan continued their winning ways against China, beating the tourists 3-0 in the third match of the four-Test series in Faisalabad to clinch the Friendship Hockey Series.
In stark contrast to the first two matches that were played in Karachi and which recorded a very poor attendance, the encounter in Faisalabad attracted a full house, with the crowd being treated to some entertaining hockey by both teams.
Pakistan attack from the outset
The Greenshirts played an attacking game from the outset and were off to a fine start, securing the lead courtesy Ali Shan’s second-minute field goal. Veteran forward Shakeel Abbasi then doubled the lead in the 21st minute. The hosts’ forward-line kept the tourists under pressure, but were unable to add another goal before the half-time whistle.
After the breather, China seemed to take a cue from Pakistan’s aggressive mode of play, and made some attacking moves, which finally bore fruit in the 61st minute when Liu Yixian scored through a penalty corner to reduce the lead.
The tourists’ joy, however, remained short lived as just three minutes later, Pakistan’s Muhammad Waqas Sharif struck to make it 3-1.
Imran pleased with turnout
Pakistan captain Muhammad Imran was delighted with the huge turnout at the Faisalabad Hockey Stadium.
“I’m really happy with the great crowd response, they came out to support us in huge numbers,” he said. “I’m happy that we didn’t let the crowd down, played a great game and won the match for them.”
Imran also had words of praise for the show put up by the tourists.
‘We’ve sent out a strong message’
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Hockey Federation Secretary General Asif Bajwa said that while he was happy with the team’s performance, he was even more encouraged by the huge crowd that came to see the match.
“The performance of the team has been good,” Bajwa told The Express Tribune. “However, I feel that what mattered more was the crowd’s tremendous response.
“We have to look at this series from a different perspective. It’s not just about the team’s show on the field, it’s also about proving to the world that people here still have passion for the game despite the lack of international hockey matches staged in the country. We’ve sent out a strong message to the world.”
Meanwhile, olympian Rana Mujahid believed that the win was a much-needed boost for the national team after a disappointing outing at the Champions Trophy.
“The team played well and scored goals when needed,” he said. “It was an entertaining match, which the crowd enjoyed. The team is performing well and I see Pakistan winning the fourth match too.”
The final match of the series will be staged today at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore.
Mohammad Imran
“I’m really happy with the great crowd response, they came out to support us in huge numbers. I’m also pleased that we didn’t let the crowd down, played a great game and won the match for them.”
Asif Bajwa
“We have to look at this series from a different perspective. It’s not just about the team’s show on the field, it’s also about proving to the world that people here still have passion for the game.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2011.
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