24 Mar 2017

Black Stics draw match, lose series

6:41 am on 24 March 2017

The New Zealand men's hockey team salvaged a 1-1 draw against Pakistan in the final test in Wairarapa but lost the series 2-1.

Blackstick Sam Lane is tackled high during the Test in Wellington.

Blackstick Sam Lane is tackled high during the Test in Wellington. Photo: Photosport

The Black Sticks were beaten 2-1 in yesterday's fourth game.

Head coach Darren Smith said his New Zealand's performance was better than game four.

"My feeling is that we would have had more opportunities and more quality opportunities, which is good for a young group," he said.

"We had an emphasis around starting well, being proactive and communicating better. We were a lot more compact and read the play a lot better."

It was a fast start to the game but both teams went into the half-time break locked at 0-0.

The Black Sticks dominated the third quarter, receiving a couple of penalty corners along the way but couldn't score.

Pakistan broke the deadlock just two minutes into the final quarter with captain Abdul Haseem Khan again the goal scorer following his double in last night's test.

However, the Black Sticks struck back courtesy of Sam Lane with 10 minutes left to play to salvage a draw.