I am proud to have played hockey and proud, too, to have written extensively about the sport. So here are the players I believe have best represented Pakistan in the sport.
“Field Hockey – A facet of life so undeniably appreciated in our society, I would wish it to one of the last things I think before I die.” When speaking and writing about Hockey, I remember the aforementioned lines said by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Yes! I would like to grow old with Hockey before I lose my breath. And, no, I would be lying if I say Hockey doesn’t come first in my thoughts during the dawn of the day and the dusk of the night.
You may lose me, as your confidant, if I say, I am proud to have played Hockey and proud, too, for having written extensively about the sport. I am not that rich in academics and rich not, also, in the knowledge of the sport. Hence, I will take care of myself and my arrogance (I don’t have, but, if you think I possess), so that I can build an edifice of my dreams.
Here is what I think is the best XI to have ever represented Pakistan in Field Hockey. For avoiding bias and unwanted criticism, I’ve put the names in alphabetical order.
Akhtar Rasool: A valuable centre half, Rasool was a creative genius in the recovery and distribution of the ball on the field. He could pass the ball to the correct position depending on the situation of the game. He had game presence at the very demanding minute. A gold and silver at the Olympics and three gold and one silver at the world cup has earned him the highest civilian award by the government of Pakistan, “Pride of Performance”.
Hanif Khan: A value addition alongside Akhtar Rasool and co, Hanif Khan was part of a team which won two gold medals each at the world cups and Asian games, and a bronze medal and gold medal at the Olympics.
Hasan Sardar: Regarded one of the finest centre forwards of the game keep alone Pakistan, Sardar is best remembered for his hat-trick against India in the 1982 Asian Games final. His 11 goals in the 1982 world cup not only made Pakistan the champions, but also got him the man of the tournament award. Two years later at the Los Angeles Olympics, Hasan Sardar captained his team to a gold medal against West Germany in the finals.
Kamran Ashraf: A centre forward with promising potential and consistency. Kamran Ashraf had his schooling from the Habib public school which produced many great players in swimming, cricket and other sports. An Olympian at the 2000 Sydney games, Ashraf scored 129 goals in 166 international outings for Pakistan.
Manzoor Hussain Jr: Known for his great stick work, Manzoor would skip through 5-6 defenders in a single go. As a forward of the game, he scored 86 goals in his 175 international appearances for Pakistan and was part of the team that won two gold each at the Champions Trophy, Asian Games, a gold at Asia Cup, two gold and a silver at the world cup, and a bronze and a gold at the Olympics. Manzoor Hussain Jr was the captain of the Pakistan that won gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Manzoor Hussain’s two brothers Maqsood Hussain and Mahmood Hussain played for Pakistan in the 1984 Champions Trophy in Karachi. Pakistan were the runners-up of the tournament, with Australia winning its second title.
Mansoor Ahmed: A real great of Pakistan and world hockey. One of the biggest challenges if ever I had is to narrate tales players like Mansoor Ahmed. A specialist glove man, a three-time Olympian, he represented Pakistan in 338 international games. A very special player in the net, Mansoor Ahmed was ranked the best goalkeeper by FIH on four different tournaments.
With two silvers, a bronze and a gold at the Champions Trophy, two gold at the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup, a bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he was more than a force to reckon with. In an illustrious career that ranged from 1986 to 2000, Mansoor Ahmed won 12 gold, 12 silver and 8 bronze medals for Pakistan in international hockey.
Outside his hockey, Mansoor Ahmed was a well-known social activist and worked as an ambassador for organizations like “Athlete Ambassador” and “Right to Play”. He was announced as a speaker for the football world cup in Qatar 2022, but unfortunately, he lost his life at a very early age of 50 due to cardiac ailments.
Samiullah Khan: One of Pakistan’s and the game’s reputed left wingers, Saimullah Khan was known as the flying horse for his gratifying speed on the pitch. With his leaps and dodges, he would skip through a lot of players with his agility and pace. He was a part of the national team that won gold at the Champions Trophy, three gold at Asian games and a bronze medal at the Montreal Olympics.
A nephew of 1960 gold medal winning team at the Rome Olympics, Samiullah Khan is best remembered captaining the side that ran riot against India at the 1982 Asian games. Pakistan beat India 7-1 in that game.
Shabaz Ahmed Sr: No second thought here. Maradona is considered as one of the greatest footballers of all time. And so is Shabaz in Hockey. Yes! He has that stamina required for a forward to move ahead and graciously put that precious tackle. He could conduct himself well in the open midfield space. He would lure the defenders in physically, assisting his team mates, and is physically strong enough to hold the ball under his stick to patiently wait for his colleague and aid the latter in completing the formalities of scoring a goal. He was also adept in passing the ball with a reverse back swing hit, flipping the ball elegantly off the ground or even over an opponent’s stick and creating an all-important scoring opportunity. The slap shot he displayed, where the ball is hit with a strong force, and taking the ball towards the left of the ground and netting in reverse are no lesser a thing.
Shahnaz Sheikh: “The marauder on the left” was known in his heydays for brilliant runs into the D. For a major part of his career, he was an ‘inner’ to the flying horse they called, Saimullah Khan. An outright nemesis to his opposition, Shahnaz was a part of the Pakistan team that won three gold at Asian games, two gold and a silver at the world cup and a bronze and silver at the Olympics.
Sohail Abbas: Regarded as a creative genius in the team, Sohail Abbas had a very high drag-flick conversion than many great players. In fact, in the modern-day hockey, he is the scorer of highest number of goals (348) and also first player in the history of the game to score 300 international goals. He was a member of the Pakistan team that won three silvers at Asia Cup, a silver and three bronze at Champions Trophy, two gold and two bronze at Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and a gold and a bronze at Asian Games.
The kind of drag-flick as he’s famously called, is the only player with 21 international hat tricks and has the highest number of goals in a calendar year (60). His records do not stop here. Sohail Abbas is the fastest to score 100 goals and 200 goals in international hockey. He is also the top goal scorer for Pakistan in Champions Trophy and Olympics.
Tanvir Dar: A brilliant right back of the game, Tanvir was known for his penalty scoring skills. In 80 international outings for his national team, he score 43 goals. His biggest success came in the last quarter of 1960s winning the Olympic gold in Mexico 1968 and Asian Games gold in Bangkok 1970. Along with his elder brother and a three time Olympic medallist Munir Dar, he established a hockey academy – Tanvir Dar Hockey Academy.
Kind Note: Notable exclusions include, Munawwaruz Zaman, Naseer Bunda, Anwar Ahmed Khan, Latif-ur Rehman, Tariq Masood Niazi, Munir Dar and Jack Britto.
Great work