JOHOR BAHRU: The Pakistan junior hockey team bowed out of the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 after being held for a 3-3 draw by Australia here at the Taman Daya Stadium on Friday.
Pakistan, who were already out of the final contention, had a dismal start to their last league-stage fixture as leaders Australia made a dominant start by netting two goals in the first quarter through Oscar Sproule and captain Toby Mallon.
Australia’s lead remained intact until the half-time as Green Shirts pulled one back in the penultimate quarter through captain Hannan Shahid, who scored a brilliant field goal in the 38th minute.
Ian Grobbelaar then restored Australia’s two-goal advantage just two minutes into the final quarter, but Shahid struck again to make it 3-2 in the former’s favour.
The Green Shirts eventually netted the equaliser in the 57th minute, courtesy of a field goal from Saif Ullah, and despite repeated efforts from Australia and Pakistan for the winner in the last three minutes, the scoreline remained intact at 3-3.
Following the stalemate, Pakistan finished fourth with five points in as many matches and will now face Great Britain for the third-place finish in the six-team tournament on Saturday.
Meanwhile, unbeaten Australia, who finished at the top of the standings with 11 points in five matches, will lock horns with India in the final.
For the unversed, Pakistan had a flying start to the Sultan of Johor Cup 2025 as they humbled Malaysia 7-2.
The Green Shirts then remained deprived of a victory as they suffered defeats against Great Britain and New Zealand, while settling for draws against arch-rivals India and Australia, respectively.
