Australia vs. Great Britain: Day 8 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – Preview
Kookaburras will face-off Great Britain today in the 20th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, being held at the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Stadium, in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Australia
With the last day’s victory over Korea by 4-2, Australia topped the ranking list with a total of three wins and a draw in their four appearances.
World Number One had a glorious last year with record-setting wins in three international events successively, including the World Cup, Commonwealth Games of 2010 both held in New Delhi, India and the 2010 Champions Trophy.
They missed the top podium seed in the last edition of Azlan Shah Cup, finishing third in a play-off against Malaysia.
Overall, the Kookaburras secured five gold medal wins at the Azlan Cup in 1983, 1998, 2004, 2005 and 2007, along with one silver win in the year, 2006.
The four-time winner of the ‘World player of the Year’ award, Jamie Dwyer, is not playing this year in the Azlan Cup. Young players invited in the squad have more or less met the team’s standards, proving well in the Malaysian ground.
Great Britain
In this year’s appearance, the British team displayed the best of their abilities by shining out since the beginning of the Malaysian Invitational.
Prior to last day’s rest, the team was on the top of the list, with three wins and one loss from India. They sealed the top spot when Australia defeated the former topper Pakistan, by 5-1.
However, Kookaburra leaped ahead of them with their last day’s win over the Korean team by 4-2.
A strong fight is expected between the two teams in today’s encounter. Great Britain is expected to be one of the strongest threats for the Kookaburras in this edition’s Azlan Cup.
This year, the British team is composed of both English and Scottish hockey stars. They last appeared in the 1987 Azlan Cup, ending up at the third position.
Players to watch
From the Australian side, Jonathan Charlesworth will be the Kookaburra star to look for on the field. On the other hand, with more than 157 international caps in hand, Jonathan Clarke will be the centre of attention from the British end.
Head-to-head Statistics
Since 2000, Kookaburras have only lost five times from their British counterpart in a total of more than 31 encounters.
It is expected that the World Number One will secure another victory against the British side, in the Azlan Shah Hockey tournament today.
Prediction
Considering the track record between the two sides, Australia will be expected to shine-out. Predictably, the match will be a head-to-head competition with a win for the Kookaburras by 3-2.
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