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| December 12, 2003 | Friday | Shawwal 17, 1424 |
Pakistan, India score big wins in Zone D playoffs
India 27 Iran 1 1/2 Pakistan 12 Singapore 6 1/2
LAHORE, Dec 11: The battle for a berth in the Paris finals resumed when two more matches were decided in the World Cup qualifying round Zone D on Thursday.
In the first match, favourites India, thrashed an already demoralized Iran 27- 1 1/2, who had earlier been trounced by Pakistan in their first outing.
Iran had shown a marked improvement in their second match against Australia, against whom they had scored two goals to add to their handicap of 1 1/2.
A better performance was being expected from Iran, but confronted by an Indian juggernaught out for blood, after suffering a narrow loss to Australia in their opening game, the Indians went on a goal-scoring rampage under the pressure of which the Iranians completely wilted.
India’s star players Sameer Suhag (5) and Shamseer Ali (5) were in full cry and found the posts as many as 11 and 10 times respectively the formidable Indian combinations soared to new heights as it compiled a record 27 goals against Iran’s 1 1/2 goal handicap.
The second match featured Singapore and Pakistan.
In Singapore’s initial game against Australia, the Singaporeans had shown some flashes of brilliance to go down 13-5 and it was said that once they had put their act together they had the ability to come into reckoning against any of the combinations present.
And so it was at the beginning of the first chukker when Singapore’s Satinder Singh (1) took everyone by surprise to notch up the first goal of the match within minutes of the start of the game.
This rattled Pakistan and put them on the defensive but only for a short while, as Raja Samilluah scored the equalizer with a brilliant solo run before the chukker ended.
After the initial shock the game went Pakistan’s way despite noteworthy attacks from Singapore’s Sattar Niazi (4) and Sariman Sarir’s (5), which were blunted by Pakistan No. 4, Shah Qubilai Alam.
However, the difference between the two teams was Hissam Ali Hyder (3). With the ball constantly passed on by Raja Samiullah (4) and Qubilai and always keeping to his position, Hissam had a series of brilliant runs that culminated in his scoring six goals to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award - once again.
Pakistan emerged victorious with a 12-6 1/2 score, but there were glimpses of weakness in the middle with pressure causing mistakes, as well as reckless rushing in the goal mouth and unnecessarily long shots at goal which went wide of the mark.
Pakistan will have to rethink its strategy when they go up against Australia on Saturday as the visiting side from Down Under has a strong defensive line-up and an uncanny ability to launch counter-attacks from a rear-guard position as was only too visible in their match against India.
However, Pakistan has engaged the services of a remarkable coach in the form of Podger El Effendi, who at his prime on 8 goals was the highest handicap player Pakistan has ever produced and he will surely take all into the reckoning before the crucial match against Australia is played.
Teams:
INDIA: 1. Ravi Rathore (2) 2. Samsheer Ali (5) 3. Sameer Suhag (5) 4. Simran Shergill (2)
IRAN: 1. Kamran Rostami (2) 2.Siamack Ilkhanzadeh (3) 3. Behram Jahanbani (3) 4. Reza Behboodi (4)
PAKISTAN: 1. Hissam Ali Hyder (3) 2. Raja Samiullah (4) 3. Shah Shamyl Alam (4) 4. Shah Qubilai Alam (3)
SINGAPORE: 1.Satinder Garcha (1) 2. Sattar Khan (4) 3. Sariman Sarir (5) Asad Jumaabhoy (2)
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