Former champions Pakistan and New Zealand settled for a 1-1 draw in their last pool match in the 30th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh today.
The Black Sticks took the lead in the 23rd minute through Luke Holmes, and the Pakistanis responded with their first penalty corner attempt via Abu Mahmood in the 43rd minute.
Pakistan, the three-time champions, are locked at the top of the table standings with 11 points following an unbeaten run in five matches. The men in green shirts qualified for tomorrow’s final against Japan, while New Zealand, placed fourth in the final standings with seven points, will go into a showdown with the Malaysians in the battle for the bronze medal.
Roelant Oltmans, Pakistan’s coach, said: “The first half was New Zealand’s and the second half was ours. Our start was not good and we conceded two penalty comers in the first minute. But this cannot happen in the final against Japan. The players did very well in this ornament but I am not satisfied with our performances in the first half,” said Roelant.
“We were terrible in ball possession. We lost it even before can could even dominate the game. It is not the way we should play. The boys came out really good and we created penalty corner opportunities. We managed to score even with one player less.
He added that they are eagerly waiting for tomorrow’s final, one that the Dutchman reckons is the Big Day!
“The good things we learned here is that the boys have the right spirit to fight back when they come from behind. From now on I feel we should play like on a high note from the start and not only after we are trailing. Most of these players have played together in many matches and we also have seven from the 2023 Junior World Cup who are now slowing getting to understand the structure,” he added.
It was a spirited start from New Zealand as they pushed deep into Pakistan’s half and earned two penalty corners early into the game. But goalkeeper Ishtiaq Khan Abdullah had the Kiwis under control as he disrupted their plan.
The Pakistanis also had their fair share of exposing New Zealand’s cracks in the second quarter. Shakeel Moin broke loose inside the circle but his meek shot was cleverly cleared by goalkeeper Dominic Dixon.
As the clock started racing towards the first half interval, neither side dominated the match. The Black Sticks, coached by Greg Nicol, have been missing the services of several regulars due to club commitments in Europe.
New Zealand coach, Greg Nicol, said he is delighted by the performance of the team, especially in the first half.
“We dominated the first half and also had some chances to score in the second. It was a respectable result against a respected team like Pakistan. They have always been strong opponents,” said Nicol.
“I will give most of the youngsters a chance to play in the bronze medal match against Malaysia tomorrow. We have nothing to lose. I would be happy if they put up a good performance. That matters most,” he said.
However, Nicol was quick to add that it would be great to end the tournament on a high note with a win over Malaysia.
The Pakistanis and Kiwis have met a total of 29 times since the 1956 Melbourne Olympics of which the green shirts emerged winners 17 times and drawn on four occasions. However, their last encounter was at the 2024 Paris Olympics qualifiers in Oman held in January this year which New Zealand won 3-2.
