The Hindu : Sport : Pakistan shrugs off lethargy, posts win against Korea

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 29, 2005

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Pakistan shrugs off lethargy, posts win against Korea

S. Thyagarajan

Kuala Lumpur: Shrugging off the lethargy that was noticeable in the opening tie against New Zealand, former champion, Pakistan with elegance and efficiency warded off a strong challenge from Korea in the Azlan Shah hockey tournament here on Saturday. Pakistan, which won 3-2, has six points from two matches.

A combination of craft and charm laid the Koreans low. What really demoralised the Koreans was the first minute penalty corner by Mohammad Imran whose superb flick simply flabbergasted the goal-keeper Dong Sik So.

This was enough for Pakistan to launch a series of raids headed by Adnan Zakir on the wing and Shakeel Abbasi from the middle. The support from the mid-field was excellent. Skipper Mohammad Saqlain gave passes with precision.

Strikes back

The Koreans hit back strongly despite being well smothered by the Pakistani defence. Kyung Seok Kim and Eun Seong Hong put pressure and earned a penalty corner. Salman Akbar stopped the first shot delectably but succumbed to the following one when Seung Jung Kang hit the boards. Wresting the initiative, Pakistan stepped up the pace even as the Korean defence began to wobble. Shakeel Abbasi capped a splendid sally for the lead and Akhtar Ali enlarged it nearing half-time, taking full advantage of an injudicious rush to the top by goal-keeper Dong.

For no obvious reason Pakistan, leading 1-3 at half-time went on the defensive allowing the Koreans more elbow room. The Koreans, sharp, swift and speedy, enveloped the Pakistani defence in a maze of errors, forcing as many as four penalty corners. Amidst mounting excitement Jong Hyn Jang slammed one to restrict the leeway. There was an inevitable speck of rough play that resulted in Akhtar Ali getting an yellow card from the Kiwi umpire, Simon Taylor.

The Koreans pressed till the final whistle, but Pakistan fully deserved its 3-2 victory. Korea has a solitary point from the drawn match against Australia.

Top spot

Sharing the top spot on the table along with the defending champion, Australia, on Friday was some consolation for India after two matches.

The four points gathered against South Africa after a dramatic win and an equally exciting 2-2 draw with New Zealand only mirrored the exacting nature of international matches.

Admittedly, there was noticeable improvement between the first and second encounters. But a lot of loose ends need to be sewn up before the team takes on tougher opponents, which include the home team tomorrow. The record of 59 victories and nine defeats in 82 matches may be impressive from a statistical perspective but the fact that India went down 0-3 when the teams met last at the Sydney international last year cannot easily be obliterated.

Cohesion

Even in the Azlan Shah tournament, India has won seven of the 10 matches played losing one. What is imperative now is to inject an element of cohesion in the mid-field. Thus far it has been fragile and inconsistent. The absence of Vikram Pillay and Viren Resquinha is adversely affecting this area. But the available resources are good enough to manage. Devinderpal Singh has shown some resilience. However, the same cannot be said of Jaswinder or Inderjit Chadda. It is here that Ignace and Bimal should lend the weight of their experience in the company of the link man, Arjun Halappa. If this trio clicks, then the frontline will automatically gain better rhythm.

So far the attack has been haphazard, creative on occasions and chaotic most of the time, especially at the finish. Unless there is a greater realisation among the forwards, notably, Deepak and Prabhjot Singh, that chances are not easy to fashion against tough defence all the good work of the defence and mid-field will become futile. Though looking needlessly cramped, Rajpal Singh was proving to be effective.

The result: Pakistan 3 (Mohammad Imran, Shakeel Abbasi and Akhtar Ali) bt Korea 2 (Seung Jung Kang and Jong Hyn Jang).

Sunday's matches: India vs Malaysia (1.35 p.m.); Pakistan vs South Africa (3.35 p.m.); New Zealand vs Australia (5.35 p.m.).

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