Australia beat India 4-3

World No 2 Australia struggled to beat India, even after taking a 3-0 lead, only to win by a slim 4-3 margin.
  Asutralia created an early cushion with goals from Matt Ghodes (24th, 39th) and Glenn Simpson (38th) and even though India fought back gallantly, Trent Mitton's 53rd minute goal denied them.
  The India goals was scored by Rupinder Pal Singh (40th, 68th) and Malak Singh (51st).

Pakistan beat defening champs NZ 4-3

PAKISTAN: Imran (19th, 28th, 58th) and Abdul Haseem Khans (21st)
NZ: Kane Russel (30th), Blair Tarrant (52nd) and Andy Hayward (56th)

Azlan Shah Cup: Fabulous, fairy tale razzmatazz

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Not many tournaments in the world of hockey have the reputation of surviving after initial euphoria. Being amateur in spirit, field hockey could not afford to galaxy of tournaments to cater to its fans. Only contests that survived, or survives, are those which carry the world body’s label such as Champions Trophy, which comes outside the regulars such as Olympics, World Cup and Continental events.
An exception is Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, put on board in 1983. It’s a stand alone invitation tournament that survived time, and satiated the the quest of event-starved hockey fans.
That the proud possession of Asia is now on its twenty-second edition, is a great news. Fittingly, this year has wonderful line up, what with return of Australia, and former winners in New Zealand, India and Pakistan. seven top teams with full strength.
A walk down the memory lane fills one with pride and nostalgia.
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the biggest tournament in the Asian Hockey Federation calendar, is the Malaysian Hockey Federation’s baby, which it conceived to cater to their domestic needs. Though initially known after the host city or a name denoting the number of teams in the field, it was later named after Sultan Azlan Shah. Field hockey is one of the popular sports in Malaysia and it also elicits patronage from the elite rulers. It was, therefore, in the fitness of things that the tournament was named after one of its kings Raja Sultan Azlan Shah, who headed the Asian Hockey Federation for long and the MHF then. Besides being a great hockey fan, Azlan Shah also lends his personality to the development of hockey, discharging many prestigious national and global assignments.
Though originally contemplated as a bi-annual event, as the enthusiasm grew the Azlan Cup became an annual affair since 1994. Indira Gandhi Gold Cup was the only other international tournament in those times but the Indian event was discontinued after 1995. The inaugural edition, known as Pentangular Tournament as five nations took part, was held at Kuala Lumpur from August 21 to 28, 1983. India and Pakistan played the first match which ended in a 1-1 draw. Rajinder Singh (Jr.), Indian coach for the 2005 edition, was among the proud participants of that match. Ric Charlesworth’s Australia won all four round-robin matches and then defeated the reigning World Cup holders Pakistan 1-0 in the final to lift the Cup, then called as Raja Tun Azlan Trophy. The winning goal came from the stick of Terry Walsh.
Ten years after winning the World Cup in Malaysia, India again became toast of that country when it lifted the second Azlan Cup in Ipoh in the fag end of 1985. India defeated defending champions Australia 4-3 in its pool before firing Pakistan in the semis (1-0). It was the hosts who faced defeat (4-2) in the final on 3rd December. India won the Cup twice since then. A week after India’s win, Azlan Shah, MHF president and FIH Vice-President, was crowned as Sultan of Perak and became the Deputy King of Malaysia.
Germany became the first European nation to engrave its name on the Cup in 1987 at Perak. Next edition due for 1989 was not staged, perhaps the dates clashed with the onset of the annual Indira International Gold Cup in India. When it was revived in 1991, celebrated coach Balkrishen Singh’s India won the six-nation round robin event without giving away a point. India defeated Pakistan, courtesy Mukesh Kumar’s only goal, and USSR on its way to podium. England’s turn it was in 1994 before India was once again on the victor’s podium in 1995. All the teams in the 1995 event were rather experimental ones, a rare thing in the history of the Cup. Goalie Ashish Ballal blocked greenhorn Michael Green’s stroke in the tie-breaker for India’s third and till date, the last title.
Eight editions were staged in the nine-year interregnum between 1996 and 2004, 1997 being the blank occasion. Pakistan won the title successively twice (1999 and 2000, 2002 and 2003), a feat no other country could match.
The 2004 number was won by Australia in January and six months later they were at heavens in Athens. Like in the past, victory in Azlan proved to be the stepping stone for greater glory for the Aussies. They again won the title in 2005.
undefined Australia’s dominance continued in 2007 also. In the 2008 editon at Ipoh, Argentna put it across India in the final through golden goal. Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, all qualified for the Beijing Olympics were in the fray.
In 2009, held a month before the Asia Cup, India won the Cup and it missed another outright title win next year when rains prevented what was expected to be a grand battle between India and Korea.
Azlan Cup is perhaps the only tournament in the world that provided airfare for the invited teams besides free hospitality for long time. Secondly, the organisers strictly ensure participation of national sides; violators have been sternly sidelined for the future editions. This policy helped the tournament grow in stature.
Normally timed before major global events such as the World Cup or the Olympics, it drew worthy teams and the participants too took the tournament with the seriousness it deserved.
Having seen so much action on the field, tremendous support from Sultan Azlan Shah himself, the event carved a niche for itself in the sporting history of Malaysia, if not the Asia.
One immediate task that, if accomplished will help it grow further and make it a commercial success, is to put on plan to telecast the matches to as much countries as possible. Thankfully this time Neo Prime beams it to Indian homes, so also Astro in Malaysia.
However, the annual feature of Malaysia, the Azlan Cup, is a veritable window for future of Asian Hockey is an established fact, and it cannot be denied.
Recently, FIH president was quoted as saying allocating a window for Azan Shah Cup to facilitate strong nations to participate. That is for the future, as of now past is prisine glory and present is equally same.
Let us savour another edition of this great tournament.

Much wiser after 6-3 drubbing?

MALAYSIA start their 22nd Azlan Shah Cup campaign against South Korea today in Ipoh, with the 6-3 hiding still fresh in coach Paul Revington's mind.
  It was at the Champions Challenge I in Argentina last December, where Malaysia beat South Korea 4-2 at the pool stage, only to receive a 6-3 hammering in the semi-finals.
  For the record, Argentina then blasted South Korea 5-0 in the final, to move into the elite Champions Trophy bracket.
  And with former Malaysian coach Paul Lissek now coaching South Korea, the equation just got more interesting.
  The others in the six-team invitational are world No 2 Australia, the raging favourites to lift their seventh title, defending champions New Zealand and crowd favourites India and Pakistan.
  "We are as prepared as ever for this tournament, and all my players are primed to start. The friendlies against Ireland and New Zealand helped the coaching set-up to identify weakness and I am optimistic that Malaysia will play much better than their 13th ranking in the world," said South African Revington.
  However, with German Lissek at the helm of the Koreans: "I have all the respect for Lissek, as he has done much to help Malaysian hockey in the past and I admire him as a coach.
  "But professionally speaking, we both have a job to do and mine is to beat his side for a good start in the tournament," said Revington.
  Lissek was less optimistic, as he does not have a few regulars who are playing in Europe, while when they left Korea, it was -10 degrees.
  "Even though I know all the Malaysian players, will not be an easy match as I do not have many players who took Korea to the Champions Challenge final in Argentina.
  "Also, we only played indoor as it was -10 degrees in Korea, while Malaysia has had good warm-up games against Ireland and New Zealand.
  "But having said, that, we will play the Korean way, and make it difficult for every team in Ipoh," said Lissek.
  It was back in 2010, when India and Korea moved into the final of the Azlan Shah Cup, and were declared joint-champions when torrential rain spoiled the party.
  And with Malaysia never laying their hands on the Azlan Shah Cup, it would be a battle between former champions and Revington's hopefuls.


  SATURDAY: New Zealand  v  Pakistan (4pm), Australia  v  India (6pm), Malaysia  v  Korea (8pm).
   SUNDAY: Australia  v  Pakistan (4pm),  Korea  v  India (6pm), Malaysia  v  New Zealand (8pm).
   March 12: Korea  v  New Zealand (4pm), India  v  Pakistan (6pm), Malaysia  v  Australia (8pm).
   March 14: Australia  v  Korea (4pm), New Zealand  v  India (6pm), Malaysia  v  Pakistan (8pm).
  March 16:  Korea  v  Pakistan (4pm), Australia  v  New Zealand (6pm), Malaysia  v India (8pm).
    Note: All matches at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh.
   

Revival stage set for struggling Asian giants..

FOUR Asian giants will be looking to revive their hockey  fortunes against Australia and New Zealand in the Azlan  Shah Cup which begins this Saturday in Ipoh.
    In Asia, South Korea, India, Pakistan and Malaysia have  been holding the top-four positions for as long as one can  remember, but at the world stage, they are known as  struggling former giants.
    Australia, ranked No 2, are known as the Kookabooras and  they have proven themselves to be the sport-loving country’s  most most successful sporting team.
    They are the only Australian team in any sport to receive  medals at five Olympic Games (1992–2008), and have placed  themselves in the top four in every Olympics since 1980.
    They also won the Hockey World Cup in 1986 and 2010,  and finally broke their Olympic gold curse in 2004 in  Athens.
    The Champions Trophy and Commonwealth Games ac colades and thropies need another cabinet to store.
    New Zealand, who shocked all and sundry by beating  Argentina 1-0 to the Azlan Shah gold last year, are ranked  6th in the World but do not have a collection of medals like  their neighbours.
   But the Kiwis are known fighters, and will prove them selves to be the team to beat in Ipoh from Saturday.
    Among the struggling Asian giants, Pakistan are the  highest ranked at No 5, South Korea at No 8, India at No 11  while Malaysia a distant 13th.
    The Azlan Shah Cup was mooted by the Sultan of Perak  to match the Champions Trophy, and after its launch in 1983   this invitational, today, remains one of the only two com petition designed to enhance the profile of Asian countries.
   The other is the new kid on the block, the Asian Champions  Trophy.
     India, Pakistan, Korea and Malaysia, do, remain on the  minds of hockey aficionados, but only in history.
    The domination of India ended somewhere in the Eighties  - Moscow Olympics to be exact - and that of Pakistan a decade  later, probably at the World Cup in Sydney.
    Neither Korea nor Malaysia reached the level of grabbing  the Olympics gold. At least Korea came close to the summit at  Sydney 2000.
    So it goes without saying that unless the former Asian  giants revitalise their development programmes, the  chances of narrowing the gap with the European countries  will remain just that, a chance.
     But with the Azlan Shah Cup at their disposal to play  against themselves, and also two higher ranked teams, it is  visioned that at least three Asian teams from Ipoh will make  the cup to the next year’s World Cup in Netherlands, be it  from the World League, or the Asia Cup -- both of which will  be hosted by Malaysia.