s2h Team
FIH Pro League action resumes after a month’s gap when Netherlands take on Great Britain in Amstelveen on Tuesday. The second match will be played on Thursday. Both encounters start at 11.30pm IST.
The Dutch and British women’s teams play on the same days 9 PM (IST).
The league re-started after a six-month hiatus in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic when Germany and Belgium met in Dusseldorf on September 22. The women’s teams of those two nations faced off on the same day.
Australia and Argentina played each other in Perth on March 7 before the league was halted. Their women’s teams played each other on the same day.
The league, in its second year, involves nine teams in either section. A significant change in the second edition concerns playing hosts. Instead of teams flying across to play their away match, they will remain at home for the second match.
The roles between the two nations concerned will be reversed in next year’s league, the idea behind the format is cutting costs, travel time and fatigue and an attempt to make the league more environmental friendly.
Wins fetch three points, draws a point each plus a bonus point for the winners of a shootout following stalemates. This year’s league also does away with the Grand Final playoffs involving the top four finishers.
Belgium, World champions and last year’s runners-up, lead the table with 18 points from eight matches. They are followed by defending champions Australia (14,8), Netherlands (11,6), India (10,6), Olympic champions Argentina (10,8), NZ (8,8), Spain (7,8), Germany (7,4) and Great Britain (5,4).
Argentina lead the women’s table with 17 points from eight matches. Following them are World Cup champions and holders Netherlands (15, 5), New Zealand (14,8), Australia (9,6), Germany (6,2), Belgium (6,6), Olympic champions Great Britain (5,4), China (0,2) and USA (0,5).