Back-to-back defeats for Pak in Azlan Shah hockey

Ipoh, April 06: Pakistan slumped to their second successive defeat in the Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament, while hosts Malaysia registered back-to-back victories in the five-nation event, here today.Pakistan`s chances of qualifying for the April 12 final received a severe jolt today, losing 2-3 to title favourites New Zealand in a round-robin match. Malaysia, on the other hand, came one step closer towards the title clash when they thrashed Egypt 4-1 in the second match of the day. The encounter between New Zealand and Pakistan was a close fought battle as the match went till the wire with the Black Sticks sealing the victory just two minutes from the hooter. The Black Sticks, who came into the event with a young squad, scored through Priyesh Bana (seventh minute), Nicholas Haig (44th), and Dean Couzins (68th), while Dilawar Hussain (eighth) and Mohamed Imran (23) found the net for Pakistan. Meanwhile, the other match between Malaysia and newcomers Egypt was a one-sided affair with the hosts sounding the board thrice in the second half to score their second successive win in the invitational tournament. Ismail Abu (27th minute), Engku Abdul Malek (39th), Chua Boon Huat (64th, 68th) found the net for the hosts, while Ahmed Abd El Hakiem (45th) was the lone goal scorer for Egypt. Pakistan had a disastrous start to the tournament yesterday as Malaysia, ranked 15th in the world, beat them in identical scoreline. Egypt, on the other hand, stunned India yesterday by holding them to 2-2 draw in the tournament opener. After a rest day tomorrow, India will take on Malaysia on Wednesday, hoping to put an end to their winning streak while New Zealand will be up against less-formidable Egypt in the other match of the day. Bureau Report