March 23, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1429

LAHORE, March 22: China beat Pakistan 4-0 in the fifth and final hockey Test at Changzhou on Friday but the visitors clinched the five-match series 3-2, according to information reaching here on Saturday.

Leading the series 3-1, Pakistan decided to induct several newcomers into this last match to evaluate their performance but the move backfired.

In the presence of the officials of the Chinese Hockey Federation, the home side gave a sterling performance and their forward line battered the Pakistan defense as they conceded three goals within the first fifteen minutes of play.

Goalkeeper Nasir Ahmed, substituting for Salman Akbar, was left flabbergasted when China fired in three penalty corners in succession in just under a quarter of an hour.

With Pakistani defense at the receiving end, the Chinese frontline, coordinating with the midfield, scored their fourth goal and led 4-0 at the half time.

To stop the Chinese onslaught, Pakistan replaced Nasir Ahmed with experienced custodian Salman besides inducting deep defender Zeeshan Ashraf, Muhammad Saqlain, Muhammad Irfan and Fareed Ahmed.

Their induction did help in stemming the rot but the visitors failed to make inroads in the China defenses as no goals were scored in the second half. Pakistan got two penalty corners while China earned four.

“After leading the series 3-1 we had decided to induct the rest of the players but unfortunately it did not go according to plan,” said Pakistan team coach Naveed Alam.

“These players will need more international exposure and experience to be able to play at the top level.”

The team will return home on Monday.—APP