HIT FOR NINE

In the second game in Day 4 at this BDO World Cup Qualifier we saw mighty Australia determine to win over Malaysia who was playing their third game in this tournament.

It only took Australia  minutes of the first half to earn their first couple Penalty Corner and with a fantastic option off the top of the circle to Ashleigh NELSON allowed Australia to open the score.



The Australian attacking wave continued without slowing down.  However Malaysia challenged them in defense following the lead of Malaysia’s Siti Noor Amarina RUHANI



An excellent effort by Teneal ATTARD allowed Australia to create a new scoring opportunity that Madonna BLYTH utilized to score Australia’s second goal.

The wave continued, and Madonna BLYTH scores again after a great build up attack from the left side of the field. The last goal of Australia in the first half was of a Penalty Corner option with Kate HOLLYWOOD.



1st Half AUS v MAS

(4:0)



Australia pressured Malaysia’s defense zone with great passes and generating greater numerical advantage on the ball at all times.  Malaysia, in their third game of this tournament started to show signs of their challenges arriving late to the tournament and perhaps fatigue was becoming a factor trying to keep up with the fast and determinant Australian team.

The five goals scored in the second half were result of a disciplined team that continue to work together, moving the ball very effectively along with efficient movement by all players.

Ashleigh NELSON scored their fifth goal, then a Penalty Stroke,

second for Malaysia in this tournament, was called by umpired Amy HASSICK from USA. Malaysia’s goalkeeper Farah Ayuni YAHYA had not chance against Australian’s striker Nicole ARROLD who scored with a fast high flick to the right corner of the net.

In the second last Penalty Corner of this game, Ashleigh NELSON scores in a rebound and then again her fourth goal of this game.  Only seconds left in the game and Australia was looking for more, they score their last and ninth goal of this match with an impressive attack that Madonna BLYTH utilized to score her third goal in this game

Pakistan drop seven seniors

Pakistan Wednesday dropped seven senior players responsible for an abysmal World Cup hockey campaign, hoping to regain the glory from scratch with next month's tournament in Malaysia.


Indian field hockey player Gurwinder Singh Chandi fights for the ball with Pakistani player Sohail Abbas (left) during their World Cup 2010 match at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi, February 2010. Pakistan dropped seven senior players responsible for an abysmal World Cup hockey campaign, hoping to regain the glory from scratch with next month's tournament in Malaysia.

Pakistan, three-time Olympic gold medalists and four-time world champions, finished last in the India World Cup earlier this year in what was described as their lowest ebb.

Captain Zeeshan Ashraf, Akhtar Ali and Mohammad Waseem requested a rest while world record goal-scorer Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi were not selected.

Goalkeeper Salman Akbar, also played in World Cup, did not attend the trials.

Chief selector Hanif Khan said three senior players requested rest, while others were rested by the selection committee as they had failed to impress in the trials in Karachi on Wednesday.

"We have rested senior players Abbas, Butt and Abbasi as they looked mentally stressed in the trials, so we have selected new players in a hope that it starts a new beginning for Pakistan hockey," Khan told reporters.

Abbas, tipped to lead the side for the Malaysia event, is the only man to score over 300 goals in the history of international hockey.

The 18-man team will be led by 30-year-old full-back Mohammad Imran. Pakistan will feature in the 6-16 May Azlan Shah tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.

The other competing teams are world champions Australia, Asian champions South Korea, hosts Malaysia, India, China and Egypt.

Khan hoped untested players would usher in a new era in Pakistan hockey.

"We have the Commonwealth Games in India and then the Asian Games later in the year, so we hope that this new team settles soon. Don't expect medals from this team soon but, once it settles, it will win laurels, "said Khan.

Pakistan will also have a new coach in Khawaja Junaid after Shahid Ali Khan was sacked last month.

Team: Mohammad Imran (captain), Imran Shah, Imran Butt, Aamir Shahzad, Kashif Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Fareed Ahmed, Mohammad Rashid, Zeeshan Ali, Mohammad Tauseeq, Waqas Sharif, Shafqat Rasool, Abdul Haseem Khan, Mohammad Zubair, Mohammad Rizwan, Andul Qayyum, Kashif Ali, Umar Bhutta.

CHILE DEFEAT MALAYSIA

After losing the opening match of the BDO World Cup Qualifier to Australia (5-0), host Chile stroke back with an important 1-0 victory over Malaysia here in Santiago, Chile.

The game was played in a much colder weather than on the opening day of the BDO World Cup Qualifier. Malaysia who is just recovering from jet lag displayed great determination right from the start of the game.  However, the local team Chile supported by many school age children and Hockey enthusiasts responded well to the task.

In the first half Malaysia was stronger than Chile, beating Chilean players to the ball and covering the field more efficiently. They earned the only Penalty Corner of the first half and had more circle entries and shots on goals than Chile. Malaysia had two clear opportunities to score in the first half, one after an excellent  pass by Siti Noor Amarina Ruhaini who from the right side of the field gave a long pass into the circle to Nor Hidayah Ahmad who deflected the ball to her teammate Norazlin Sumantruwho just missed the pass.  The Chilean National Head Coach Diego Amoroso was losing his temper and his players displayed similar behavior, Malaysia tried to used this to their advantage by imposing stronger attacking pace that did not capitalized in any success.

In the 2nd half, a much better organized Chilean team enter the field of play. It seems that Chilean National Head Coach Diego Amoroso modified the team's strategy to counter the Malaysians long drive attacks. 

The “Diablitas” (Chileans) started pressuring high forcing Malaysia to hurry their passes creating turn overs.  The 17 years old, Manuela Urroz, found herself alone with goalkeeper Farah Ayuni Yahya after Catherine Lambor had lost possession of the ball when pressured by Chilean forwards, but her shot brushed off the left post. The Chilean kept the Malaysian on their heels with long drives of their own.  Fifteen minutes into the second half,  Chile had 3 penalty corners in a row all 3 were well defended by Malaysia's defense unit, it was only last one that Chile had a direct shot on net with Fernanda Rodriguez trying a reverse shot from the left side of the circle.

With 13 minutes to go, from a side-in deep in her zone, Chilean Andrea Sanchez went for a long drive into the offensive zone where Carolina Varas awaited, she moved pass to Malaysia's last defender Norfaraha Hashim, and when aggressively challenged by goalkeeper Farah Ayuni Yahya, umpire Wendy STEWART called a Penalty Stroke in favor to Chile. Javiera VIillagra captain of Chilean Team was responsible to give Chile their first goal of the tournament and the lead in this match.

Malaysia perhaps feeling the impact of the long 30 hours traveling and not much time to familiarize themselves to Santiago,  showed great willingness to counter attack.  The game could have being for any team as a strong play by right wing Norbaini Hashim just missed an excellent opportunity to score only minutes to the end of the game.

With 7 minutes left in the game, Javiera Villagra went for a back tackle on Siti Noor Amarina Ruhaini and was sent off leaving her team short-handed for 5 minutes.  With less than 2 minutes on the clock, Siti Rahmah Othman went one on one against Claudia Schuler, Chilean goalkeeper, only to hit the left post with a drive from inside the area.

SELECTION HEADACHE

The national team for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will be named after the friendly match against Egypt on May 3 in Ipoh. A day later the team will be up against Australia, in another friendly before the tournament proper gets underway on May 6 against Pakistan.

Recently appointed chief coach Stephen van Huizen will no doubt be having a selection headache, not from the goalkeeping perspective though where he has five keepers and of late had to fend questions as to why he named five keepers. But no one makes an issue when Pakistan names ten keepers in their training squad.

Well in a way Stephen does not have the full team to pick from as Kelvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh, Jiwan Mohan, Baljit Singh Sarab are on the crock list while Shahrun Nabil is admitted in Damansara Specialist due to a condition where he has a very high protein count and could well miss out the tournament as well. IN addition Jiwa Mohan has not joined training yet as he is based in Perth.

Taking away these six players, and the fact that three goalkeepers will be excluded, that leaves another five players from the list of 32 to be dropped for the Azlan Shah Cup challenge.

PAKISTAN YET TO DECIDE ON CAPTAIN

Chief selector Hanif Khan said that selecting seniors does not mean that they must be a part of the team. Who ever is fully fit at the camp would be included in the team.

Talking with media at the Hockey Club of Pakistan stadium, the chief selector said that no hasty decision would be taken in announcing the appointment of captain of the hockey team.

Hanif Khan said that if a captain is important in the cricket team then coach have more powers than captain in the hockey team.

He said that if he would be asked for a new captain then he would advise him and it is the job of the Pakistan Hockey Federation to announce the name of the captain.

Hanif said that there was very little time for preparations for the Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament due to which enough experiments of training cannot be made.

He said that it is not necessary to include those players in the team who requested for leave from the camp to take rest.

The chief selector said that this message is also for other seniors at the camp that if they do not pass fitness test then it is not mandatory for them to be selected.

CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS LOOMS

There seems to be a constitutional crisis of sorts looming in the Malaysian Hockey Federation. And this has to do with the decision of the last MHF Council meeting where the President of MHF in his opening remarks mentioned the need to make changes to the constitution, the most significant of which is that in future both the Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer will be appointed by the President rather then be elected by the affiliates.

While I will not discuss the merits and disadvantages of making such amendments here, it is shocking to learn that a Vice President of MHF is guilty of a whisper campaign amongst affiliates to vote against such an amendment when the changes are tabled at the next Council meeting.

Such a conduct is unbecoming of the said official and the President should take note of the enemy within. And talking of a new constitution, I have already completed a draft copy for MHF in line with the provisions of FIH as well as the Sports Development Act 1997 as well as the guidelines advocated by the Sports Commissioners Office.

DOPED MHL

A player from Sapura has been tested positive for recreational drug use during the Malaysian Hockey League that ended in February.

While the identity of the player cannot be revealed, it is learnt that the player has yet to respond to the findings as he has not given any indication if he wanted the B sample to be tested.

And should he decide not to challenge the initial findings, the player could face a minimum two year ban.

That is not all as it is believed players from a team participating in the ongoing MJHL are also suspected of using drugs and drug testing will soon be conducted.