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Junior hockey World Cup | Mumtaz scores hat-trick as India beat Malaysia 4-0 to top pool; face South Korea in quarterfinal
The Hindu
Already assured of a quarterfinal berth before Tuesday's tie, India scored four field goals -- three by Mumtaz (10th, 26th, 59th minutes) and one by Sangita Kumari
Mumtaz Khan scored a hat-trick as the Indian women's hockey team thrashed a lowly Malaysia 4-0 to end its pool engagements with an unbeaten record in the FIH Junior World Cup here on Tuesday.
Already assured of a quarterfinal berth before Tuesday's tie, India scored four field goals -- three by Mumtaz (10th, 26th, 59th minutes) and one by Sangita Kumari (11th).
India, thus, finished on top of Pool D with maximum nine points from three wins out of as many matches.
The Indians had earlier defeated Wales 5-1 before getting the better of formidable Germany 2-1 in their first two pool games.
Their confidence on a different level after ensuring a knock-out berth, the Indians completely dominated the proceedings and created a flurry of chances from the word go.
Their efforts bore fruit in the 10th minute when an opportunist Mumtaz scored from close range after the ball fell before her sticks after ricocheting from a Malaysian defender.
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Daniel Quizon is the latest to join the band of leaders. The Philippines player beat Russian Artion Stribuk on the third board in the ninth round at the Gift City Club on Tuesday. The four overnight leaders – Kazybek Nogerbek of Kazakhstan, Russia’s Rudik Makarian, Mamikon Gharibyan of Armenia, and Colombia’s Jose Gabriel Cardoso – were featured in the drawn games on the top two boards.
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On the seam-friendly pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, Axar Patel’s left-arm spin plays second fiddle to the pacers. Axar, however, has added great value as a batter. The southpaw, promoted to No. 4 in the Pakistan outing on Sunday, held the Indian innings together with an 18-ball 20.