That caution was also partly because of his first match against India in this tournament to be played tomorrow. With a field that has only European giants like Holland and Germany missing, the Commonwealth presents a very good testing ground for Walsh's young side, that has made five changes from the side that failed to win a medal at the World Cup in Utrecht in May.

The fact that Australian have dropped players like Baeden Choppy, one of their finest forwards till recently, besides Atlanta Olympians like Paul Lewis and David Wansbrough, shows that a team for 2000 Sydney Olympics is indeed part of current plans.

Walsh spent three years here in Kuala Lumpur as the Malaysian national coach. Thatis why he has spoken so much against matches in late afternoon, when it oftens rains and pushes the humidity to 90-95 per cent. ``The (Commonwealth) Games will be a tough competition and whoever the winner is, they'll really deserve it,'' Walsh said.

The weather could be a problem for some of his players, and the doctor with the team is a busy man ensuring adequate water replacement and rehydration.

Hit by contoversies, the Indian Hockey Federation is more in news because it keeps changing coaches, dropping and chopping players. Yet, led by Dhanraj Pillay, India can still hope to get into the semifinals. MK Kaushik, who was made the coach recently after V Baskaran was sacked, has already said that he is not too happy with the team's overall fitness.

If the gold at Commonwealth Games is a means to boost hockey in Australia, Pakistan look at every inaugural edition in hockey as something that they must win.

After all, they did that in 1958 when the discipline was introduced in Asian Games, in 1971 whenthe World Cup came into being and then again in 1979 when the junior World Cup was played for the first time. The first Asia Cup in 1987 too went Pakistan's way, so the Commonwealth Games gold would only keep a tradition alive and also help in a revival of the game, that is torn by controversy and unsavoury incidents back home.

Australian women -- winners of the last two World Cups, and the 1996 Olympics -- are coached by Ric Charlesworth, one of the finest coaches in the world and a great captain in his playing days. Charlesworth has been in news lately because of his comments on the pitch at the Pantai Stadium. He feels the pitch is not only bad but is also dangerous with the break in the seam.

Indian women, placed with Australia, Scotland, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Malaysia in Pool A, would attempt to get into the second spot to make the semis. Yet, the knowledge that they beat Australia last year in India should do their confidence a lot of good notwithstanding the fact they got the woodenspoon at Utrecht.