The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2024 saw the conclusion of round matches with Japan and Pakistan finishing as the top two teams on the points table as both remained unbeaten throughout the round-robin matches.
All six teams played their last-round match on Friday. Pakistan managed a 1-1 draw against New Zealand while Japan and Malaysia defeated Canada and Korea respectively.
Japan remained on the top with 13 points as they won four matches and drew only one. While Pakistan stayed on the second position with 11 points.
Korea and Canada were the bottom two teams as the latter couldn’t record a single win while Korea could only win one match.
It must be noted that Pakistan and Japan will lock horns in the final on Saturday in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Before the final, Korea and Canada will play in the fifth-place match while Malaysia and New Zealand will play each other for the third-place match.
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan’s performance in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup would be a morale booster for the team especially because they have to feature in the FIH Nations Cup in Gniezno, Poland, from May 31 to June 9 as well.
The Nations Cup is important because the winning team will have the opportunity to play in the FIH Hockey Pro League for the 2024-25 season.