Netherlands Kept their Semi - final hopes Alive

The Netherlands kept their semi-final hopes alive with a well carved 3-1 win against New Zealand.





The Netherlands won their second game in as many matches in group A of the World Cup. On Wednesday night, the Dutch scored an emphatic 3-1 win at the National Stadium. All goals came in the first half.





Taeke Taekema kept his lead at the top of the goalscorers chart when he scored one of Holland’s three goal, yet again from a penalty corner. Taekema, who scored a hattrick against Argentina, has four goals so far.





However, it were the Black Sticks who got off to a sensational start when skipper Philip Burrows tore into the Orange defence and slammed one past keeper Guus Vogels. The game was barely 45 seconds old.

The Dutch equalised within seconds. In a stunning counterattack, Robbert Kemperman cut through a nervous Kiwi defence and hit blazing hit came off the Kiwi goalie. The rebound off was slotted home by the veteran Ronald Brouwer.






Taekema, in the seventh minute, and Jeroen Hertzberger, in the 27th helped the Dutch take a 3-1 lead. The Teun de Noojier led team was more intent on preserving their lead in the second half than trying to peg the Kiwis further back. The men in Orange raced to the top of the Pool with six points while Germany follow close on four.





Korea also at four points, are now placed third with New Zealand at fourth. Canada and Argentina bring up the rear of the group.The Dutch, got a chance to go ahead in the seventh minute after they were awarded a penalty corner. Taekema converted the opportunity to take his tally to four goals in the World Cup, all of those through penalty corners. In the process, the Dutchman left Germany’s Florian Fuchs in the second spot with three goals.





Hertzberger, who had been attacking from the right flank frequently, at last hit bull ’s eye in the 27th minute to leave New Zealand reeling at 1-3.The second session saw the Dutch adopting a more defensive approach, determined as they were to preserve their two goal lead.However, what must have hurt Netherlands coach Michel van den Heuvel would be his wards’ inability to convert as many as four penalty corners through the match.





The Kiwis, obviously, fared no better, missing all three penalty corners. Blair Hilton stormed into the Dutch half towards the dying stages but a ferocious drag flick missed the goal post narrowly.That pretty much told the tale for a hapless New Zealand, who had started their campaign with a 3-1 win over Canada.

New Zealand stun Korea hopes

New Zealand stun Korea to keep their semifinal hopes alive in hockey World Cup.



Korea's hopes of reaching the hockey World Cup semifinals were dealt a major blow when they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of New Zealand at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Friday.



Andrew Hayward and Dean Couzins scored for the Kiwis in the first half to ensure that Nam Yong Lee's last-minute penalty stroke was just a consolation. Korea started the game well, making inroads into the Kiwi circle.





But despite all their attacking, it was New Zealand who took the lead. A penalty corner in the fourth minute gave Hayward his first goal of the tournament. The Asians stepped on the gas after that and attacked relentlessly from both flanks, but the Kiwis were equal to the task and did not let their opponents enter their circle.

The Kiwis doubled their advantage in the 22nd minute with Dean Couzins converting a penalty stroke. The Asians continued applying pressure but to no avail as the Kiwis went into the break two goals to the good.The Koreans had as many as six penalty corners in the second half, but they failed to make any of them count.



Their best chance came in the 52nd minute, when Lee was released by captain Jong Ho Seo, but his shot from an acute angle was wayward.With time running out, Koreans went on an all-out attack. The Kiwis, however, defended deep in their own half and absorbed all the pressure to make sure that there were no let-ups.

The Koreans, like in their previous match against Argentina, finally scored in the last minute of the match. Only that the goal against the South Americans had proved to be the winner whereas Lee’s penalty stroke in this tie did little else than trouble the scorer.With two wins in three matches,



New Zealand are in a good position to make the last-four from Pool A while Korea, who have just four points from three games, face an early exit from the world championship.

England totally Whitwash Bangladesh

Craig Kieswetter delivered a maiden century as England completed a series whitewash over Bangladesh with a 45-run win in the third ODI.

Kieswetter's 107 was more measured than his reputation as a power hitter might suggest, but after his first 50 occupied 80 balls he took just 41 to convert his half-century into a full one, with nine fours and three mighty sixes along the way.







There was also some explosive late hitting from Luke Wright (32 not out in 13 deliveries) as the tourists posted 284 for five having lost the toss.

Bangladesh's reply suffered from the regular tumble of wickets and closed on 239 for nine, with Tim Bresnan returning four for 28.

Debutant Ajmal Shahzad was handed the new ball and, just as he did on his Twenty20 bow in Dubai last month, obliged with a wicket in his first over.Tamim Iqbal, who blazed 125 in the series opener in Dhaka, was the man out for a duck, slashing to Bresnan at third man.

Imrul Kayes brought him back to earth with exquisite drives for four off the front and back foot before hooking Bresnan for another boundary.Bresnan continued to bound in and was rewarded with the wicket of Imrul (17), caught by wicketkeeper Matt Prior after thrashing outside off stump.

Chittagong native Aftab Ahmed offered a return catch to Shahzad on 26 but made a further 20 before a horribly mis-judged single saw him run out.Mushfiqur Rahim, all gentle flicks and scampered singles, played his part in the pair's 56-run stand before welcoming skipper Shakib Al Hasan to the middle.But Mushfiqur fell for 40 when he attempted to inject some power into his innings, succeeding only in lifting Graeme Swann to deep mid-wicket.

It's all about numbersShakib (38) moved his side beyond 150 with consecutive fours off Paul Collingwood, one a cheeky, pre-meditated paddle over the wicketkeeper.But he was out sweeping in the 34th over, a poor lbw decision giving Kevin Pietersen a rare success with the ball to leave the hosts five down.

When Collingwood's 10-over spell came to an end, Swann's return meant spin from both ends - a tactic that frustrated Mahmudullah's search for much-needed boundaries.With 10 overs left and five wickets in hand, the batting side still required a hefty 95.Naeem Islam (17) and Mahmudullah (33) paid the price for going aerial as they tried in vain to make inroads.


Bresnan picked up his third and fourth wickets when he picked off Suhrawordi and Shafiul Islam in the space of three balls in the 47th over.Earlier Kieswetter justified the decision to belatedly add him to the touring party with a hard-working first competitive ton in England colours following two modest displays.


The 22-year-old, making his third ODI appearance, looks most at home when facing the quick men, a fact that has made his job a hard one in a series where the opposition regularly call on a quintet of slow bowlers.But he dug in well after a nervy opening period and laboured to a gutsy, rather than glamourous, fifty.Having passed that landmark the opener began to free his arms.



That renewed aggression, coupled with the fielding restrictions enforced by the batting powerplay, helped him canter to three figures after just 41 additional deliveries.Captain Alastair Cook scored 32 in a 59-run opening stand with Kieswetter and looked likely to post a third successive 50 since being handed the captaincy.

Instead, his opposite number Shakib found a little extra bounce to have him caught at the wicket by Mushfiqur.Pietersen failed to put an end to the question marks over his recent form, making a subdued 22 before falling lbw to Abdur Razzak for the second match in a row.

Collingwood and Eoin Morgan, the England match-winners in the first and second games, each made 36.Collingwood looked a little out of rhythm before holing out to Suhrawordi, while Morgan rode his luck with two drops before Shafiul dismissed him.Wright gave the England innings a healthy boost at the close, hammering two sixes and two fours in his thrilling cameo.