The 20th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup enters into second day – Hockey Update
Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup is one of the biggest and oldest tournaments of the Asian continent is going through the second day of the event.
Seven of the best hockey playing countries including Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Great Britain and the host Malaysia are taking part in the 20th edition of the invitational tournament.
Three games will be played today (Friday) including Pakistan versus South Korea, India versus Great Britain and Malaysia against the world champions Australia.
The Kookaburras are being considered favourites for the event victory. However, South Korea and Pakistan are also in good form to give a tough time to the contenders.
The opening game between Pakistan and South Korea will be a tough competition of the day, as the both sides are equal in their performances. The two teams win their respective games in the opening day of the event. Pakistan outplayed New Zealand while South
Korea cruised past India. Another similarity between the two teams is the combination of senior and junior players, as both squads have similar line-ups.
The second game of the day will be between India and Great Britain. It will be one of the most competitive matches of the day, as it will decide the worth of the Indian team. India lost the opening game in the hands of South Korea by a solitary point, thus
they will have to prove their worth on the field. Apart from that, the Indian squad defeated the Black Sticks in the practice match, as they failed to continue their winning streak.
On the other side, the British team gave a very impressive start to the event. They overwhelmed the host Malaysia by two points and acquired positions among the top squads. The Indian squad will try to make a come-back into the event while Britain will attempt
to continue their victorious momentum.
In the third match of the day, the world champions Australia will face the host Malaysia, which is expected to be a one-sided contest. The Kookaburras team is very professional as compared to Malaysia. It will be first game for the Australian side in the
invitational, thus they will try to get a commanding victory to boost their courage.
Though, the Kookaburras are lacking many experienced players, they will try to win the event that they missed last year. On the other side, the Malaysian side lost the first game at the hands of Great Britain. The host side will have to display an impressive
game in order to make a return into the game. The tournament will be continued until the finals of the invitational on May 15.
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