CT 2014 Aus 1 Eng 3: It was not our day

The first match might have not gone as expected for the defending champions Australia after they lost 3-1 to England, but the Kookaburras won hearts with their kind gesture as they wore black band in memory of cricketer Phillip Hughes who died on November 27.

“It was a tragic incident. It is a small tribute from the hockey world to him,” said skipper Eddie Ockenden after the match.

Not much disappointed for the result, the skipper said, “It is not that we did not play very well. We made some good moves but it was not our day.”

His team mate and drag flick expert Chris Ciriello agreed with Ockenden. “England is an experienced team and they played much better than we did today, especially in the first half. But the first three games are nothing but building process for the quarter-finals and the semi-finals,” Ciriello said after the match.

“We had chances. But it is about taking opportunities and making them count. We couldn’t do that today. But we have a big game against Belgium and will improve.”

Ciriello also cited the controversy in the fourth quarter to be the other reason for the loss.

“The decision in the end made it more difficult for us. There was a referral but the goal stayed. We could have still drawn the match after the first goal but the decision didn’t come our way.”