Pakistan is the true inheritor of the golden legacy of hockey in the sub-continent. Pakistan has been a great motivation for field hockey over the years. By joining the International Hockey Federation in 1948, Pakistan is the standard bearer of hockey in Asia and indeed, the world.
The first post-war Olympics held in 1948 in London were the first international event that Pakistan participated in. Their first event saw them lose the match for the bronze medal. Colonel A. I. S. Dara is known as the father of Pakistan hockey. He captained India in the 1936 Berlin Games and after partition, represented Pakistan in the 1948 London Games.
The history of world hockey is littered with the achievements of various Pakistani hockey teams. Pakistan hockey enjoyed the golden era for three decades between 1956 and 1986. This was the time when the Pakistan hockey team created many new records and achieved many feats which are yet to be broken. Pakistan has been crowned World Champions on three different occasions. They have also won the Olympics Gold medal three times as well. Furthermore, they won the Asian games title for a record six times. Two times Champions trophy winners Pakistan were also the ones who came up with the concept of the tournament. There is no hockey team in the world which has held all three prestigious awards of the Asian Games, World Cup and the Olympic gold medal at the same time. Pakistan has held this amazing record not once but twice.
Pakistan also holds several hockey records in the Asian Games as well. Pakistan holds the record for the highest goals scored by a team in a match. Pakistan scored 17 goals against Bangladesh in 1978. Abdul Waheed from Pakistan holds the record for scoring the highest number of individual goals in the Asian Games with 17 goals. This also includes a double hat-trick in the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. Muneer Dar holds the record for the maximum number of penalty corner conversions in a single game. He converted 5 penalty corners against South Korea in the 1958 Games in Tokyo.
Pakistan won the World Championship in the year 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994. The green shirts reached the final and won the silver medal twice in the 1975 and 1990 World Cup. Pakistan’s entry into the Olympics saw them win three gold medals in 1960, 1968 and 1984. Along with the gold, Pakistan has also won three silvers in the tournament as well. Pakistan has been Champion's Trophy winners in the year 1978, 1980, and 1994.
In 1982, Pakistan administered the worst drubbing to their arch-rivals India in New Delhi. The green shirts massacred India with a 7-1 drubbing under capacity crowd. Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi along with a national television audience saw their team being thrashed by Pakistan. Kalimullah and Hassan Sardar scored goals with paramount ease to completely wipe out the Indian defense.
Pakistan has produced many “hockey” greats over the years. Dubbed as the flying horse, Samiullah was an absolute genius. He was an example of the classic Asian right winger of hockey who played with immense speed and ability to execute great 'crosses'. Shahnaz Sheikh had a delightfully deceptive body swerve and a fast stick. There was nobody who could match his magnificent skills with the stick. Sharp-shooting centre-forward Hassan Sardar was a glee to watch, as he tackled opposition defenders from across the world.
Abdul Rasheed Jr. of Pakistan has a unique feat of winning the World Cup both as a player in 1971 and as a coach in 1994, the only such instance in World Cup history. Pakistan has produced the best penalty corner specialist in the world, Sohail Abbas. He, in 1999, converted 62 goals to set a world record of maximum goals in a calendar year. The previous record was held by Dutch penalty corner striker Paul Litjens with 58 goals.
Pakistan is famous for its Asian style of hockey which is aggressive in nature. This particular style of hockey continued till 1986, when Astroturf was introduced as the playing surface. Since then, nothing has been working in favor of the Asian teams.
Currently, Pakistan hockey is having a rough time. Four-time champions Pakistan earned the 12th position in the recently concluded men's field hockey World Cup in India. Hockey watchers were in sackcloth and ashes, mourning the demise of Pakistan’s hockey. It certainly seems as if the love for cricket has killed the passion for hockey in Pakistan. The players have continuously failed to meet the rising standards of international hockey such as England, Australia, Germany and Netherlands.
Hockey and its victories are a glorious heritage of Pakistan which the nation would love to carry forward. The Pakistan Hockey Federation needs to revive a strong domestic hockey structure which has gone astray over the years. The fact that there is no hockey at school, college and club levels is really an eye opener Pakistan. They have nosedived from being the ruling class of hockey to the bashing boys of today.
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