No succour for sorry Pakistan

NEW DELHI: “We can’t play any worse than this,” admitted Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan after his side was outplayed 4-3 by South Africa in a Pool B match of the Hero Honda World Cup on Saturday.

The defeat, their third in four matches, ended Pakistan’s flickering hopes of reaching the semifinals.

Pakistan’s loss came against a side who were drubbed 12-0 by Australia just two days back. But to their credit, the South Africans put the disappointment behind and played some inspired hockey to earn their first points of the tournament.

Pakistan took the lead in the 6th minute through Rehan Butt but that was all they could do in the first half even though chances came their way. They looked far from convincing in their approach and probably also paid the price for underestimating their rivals.

After the break, South Africa returned a completely different team. They slammed home four goals in a span of 16 minutes taking advantage of a sloppy Pakistani defence. Goals by Gareth Carr (38th minute), Ian Haley (41st), Taine Paton (46th) and Marvin Harper (54th) made it difficult for Pakistan to bounce back in the match. And while Pakistan did strike two late blows through Muhammad Imran and Waseem Ahmed, it did not suffice.

A disappointed Khan said after the match that they lost the match in the second half. “Everything was going okay for us in the first half. The video umpire also disallowed a goal which I think was a clear one.”