The World Cup that concluded on Monday marked the end of the road for the latest dinosaurs in an evolving sport that's placing a new emphasis on free-flowing action to win more sponsors and TV viewers.

Penalty corner specialists, who would step up from the bench to slam the ball into the boards or scoop it into the cage, lived a charmed existence for six years before the International Hockey Federation (FIH) decided to veto the practice.

In the future, teams wanting to employ crack penalty corner executioners will have to field them in the playing eleven. "That's how it should be," said Ric Charlesworth, coach of the Australian women's team, which won its second World Cup on Sunday.

"We've always believed in making one of the players on the pitch take the penalty corner. The new rule will abolish stoppages caused by such changeovers."

Crackpenalty corner shooters in the past used to figure in the playing eleven even if their main utility was to score with rasping penalty corner shots.

But the introduction of the rolling substitution rule after the Barcelona Olympics brought into vogue specialists whose appearances during matches were restricted to half a minute for every penalty corner.

The new rule will now force several star players such as crack Dutch shooter Bram Lomans, England's Calum Giles and Sohail Abbas of Pakistan to reorient the course of their hockey careers. They'll have to find places on the playing teams to entertain hopes of further success in the sporting arena.The departure of the crack penalty shooter follows the abolition of the off-side rule after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a rule change that paid off in more goals at this World Cup.

This was the first big tournament played under the no off-side rule. An average of five goals were scored in every game, and the number of field goals outnumbered those from penaltycorners.

Spurred by the positive response in boosting the spectator support for the sport and commercial sponsorships, the FIH bosses are now looking at changing some more rules to make the game less technical and more enjoyable. "The key is to find the right formula from both a hockey playing point of view and from a commercial point of view," said FIH pr