England thrash Pakistan 7-0 in dominant FIH Pro League display
The Green-shirts lost all their 16 matches in the league. Pakistan had got the chance to feature in the premier event after the Nations Cup winners New Zealand withdrew due to financial issues
By Alam Zeb Safi
LONDON: Nicholas Bandurak struck twice as clinical England demolished Pakistan 7-0 in a one-sided FIH Hockey Pro League encounter at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Saturday.
This is the 16th straight defeat for Pakistan which also fell curtain on their pathetic Pro League journey.
The hosts delivered an offensive masterclass in front of their home crowd, capitalizing heavily on set-pieces to secure a comprehensive victory while keeping a flawless clean sheet.
England asserted their dominance from the opening whistle, penetrating Pakistan’s circle 30 times and leaving the visitors struggling for answers. The breakthrough came late in the first quarter when veteran forward Sam Ward converted a penalty corner in the ninth minute. Nicholas Bandurak doubled the lead just before the first break, slotting home a field goal in the 15th minute.
England’s ruthless penalty corner execution continued to punish Pakistan’s defensive line in the second and third periods. Samuel Taylor extended the advantage to 3-0 with a penalty corner strike in the 22nd minute, followed by a similar set-piece success from Samuel Hooper shortly after halftime. The floodgates opened entirely in the final quarter as England struck three more times in a blistering four-minute window. Bandurak secured his second of the match from another penalty corner in the 48th minute before team captain Zachary Wallace confidently converted a penalty stroke just seconds later.
Henry Croft rubbed further salt into Pakistan’s wounds, capping off the 7-0 rout with a field goal eight minutes from time.
In total, England converted four of their 11 penalty corners, registering a highly efficient 36.36% success rate from set-pieces.
In contrast, Pakistan failed to mount any sustained offensive pressure, finishing the match without a single goal or penalty corner conversion. Discipline remained clean on both sides, with match officials issuing no green, yellow, or red cards during the 60 minutes of play.
