Hockey: Couzins strike keeps it alive

New Zealand 1
India 1

Fifteen seconds from the end of his 171st game for the Black Sticks, Dean Couzins scored his first field goal for New Zealand. It could not have been more timely.

Undeservedly trailing 1-0 and with the four-test series against India on the line, captain Phil Burrows stepped forward to take an attacking free-hit.

He played the ball to Brad Shaw, who in turn swept on to Couzins who pushed home from close range to snatch the dramatic equaliser.

The Black Sticks now have the chance to level the series in the final test at the same venue this afternoon after the first test in Wellington last weekend was also drawn 1-1. The visitors won the second 2-1.

"It was really nice to get one from the field," said Couzins, 27, who has scored eight of 10 penalty strokes he has taken for his country but has had few other scoring chances from his defensive role.

"It keeps us in the series. I feel we deserved that."

Asked what prompted him to push forward into an already congested Indian goalmouth, Couzins said simply: "I knew there was bugger all time left so I thought, 'why not?"'

The home side earned the draw after turning in a solid all-round performance which was a decent step up from what they had shown in losing the second test.

"We did a lot better in some areas," said Burrows, after setting up the goal in his 215th international. "We held the ball a lot better than we did in Wellington but in the first half here we gave them a little too much from turnovers. If you have 80 per cent possession, as we did in the second half, you expect to get something from it.

"Overall, I feel it was a better performance than the first test where I felt we probably caught them off their guard a little."

On defence, apart from a couple of tentative moments when mis-trapped balls could have proved costly, New Zealand, well-led by Couzins and with good support from Shaw, were tight.

That they did not concede one penalty corner was a tribute to their tenacity.

The midfield functioned reasonably, even if Burrows was forced too often to drop back in support.

Bryce Collins, continuing his comeback after a long injury-enforced lay-off, took another step forward but the loss of Lloyd Stephenson to a hamstring injury early in the match was costly. He and Steve Edwards, nursing a shoulder injury, will miss today's test.

On attack, the Black Sticks let themselves down by failing to turn a wealth of possession into goals.

Simon Child, Nick Wilson and Burrows all had half-chances but failed to really test goalkeeper Baljit Singh.

New Zealand had a good chance in the opening minute but fell behind in the 13th minute when the Indians broke quickly and found Shivendra Singh who scored with a rocket from an acute angle.

The home side forced three penalty corners midway through the second spell but failed to convert and it was left the Couzins' last ditch heroics to keep the keenly-contested series alive.

New Zealand 1 (Dean Couzins 70) India 1 (Shivendra Singh 13th). India lead series 1-0 with two tests drawn.