07 December 2004	Tuesday	24 Shawwal 1425

LAHORE, Dec 6: Pakistan face their first real test on Tuesday when they meet defending champions The Netherlands in a crunch match at National Hockey Stadium after two easy outings against New Zealand and Germany.

Both sides, having six points each, will not be looking for anything less than a victory as it will make things easier for them to secure the final berth at the six-nation tournament.

Apparently things look better for the Pakistanis if one considers the score line of the previous two league matches against world champions Germany and New Zealand. However, the 3-1 triumphs against Germany and New Zealand are far from satisfactory if one considers the performance not the results of the home team.

Luck certainly favoured the hosts in both games or things might have been different. It was only in the second half that Pakistanis recovered. They were seen struggling throughout the first half against Germany in the opener and New Zealand as well.

While the Dutch battled against the Indians on Sunday before a hard fought 5-4 win, at the same time they have shown resilience and their traditional professionalism. And the Dutch have promised to show the same resilience against Pakistan on Tuesday.

"We will be as resilient as we can against Pakistan tomorrow," vowed The Netherlands coach Terry Walsh. The coach has pointed out Pakistan's late recovery against the Germans and New Zealand despite having full-strength side.

"Germany are world champions but are fielding a young side. But still Pakistan had to struggle against them. The home side was lucky or things could have been different," he said. Pakistan captain Waseem Ahmad considered the match against the Dutch a make-or-break situation, saying both sides had equal chances of winning.

"The way we played against the Germans was a cause of concern for us. But against New Zealand, our forward-line was better. It was only because of lack of finish that we failed to score. "I realise that tomorrow's game will be very crucial. I hope our forwards will be more effective against the Dutch," the left-half said.

TODAY'S FIXTURES: Pakistan v The Netherlands; Spain v New Zealand; India v Germany.