AMRITSAR, 9 October 2004 — Penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas became the highest international goal-scorer in field hockey history yesterday as Pakistan beat India 2-1 to clinch the eight-match series.
Abbas, who was tied with Dutch legend Paul Litjens on 267 goals before the match, converted Pakistan’s first penalty corner in the 10th minute to set the new mark as Pakistan took a decisive 4-1 lead in the seventh game.
His rasping strike hit a defender’s stick and seemed to go over the post but the umpires awarded a goal after an appeal from the Pakistan players, who showed them a hole in the goal netting.
Rehan Butt was the other marksman for Pakistan while Arjun Halappa converted a penalty stroke for India to reduce the margin.
“It is a very proud moment for our team as well as his friends and relatives back home,” captain Waseem Ahmed said after Abbas took his tally to 268. “He has served Pakistan very well over the years.”
Pakistan increased the lead in the 50th minute when an unmarked Butt came up with a superb reverse-flick from the top of the circle. The forward, who takes the push during penalty-corners, had come close to scoring a little earlier when he hit the post in an indirect variation of a penalty-corner.
For the home side, Halappa, who converted a ‘stroke’ in the 53rd minute, played well up front to create two good chances for India in the first session. Indian forwards failed to come in line of a cross from Halappa on the right flank with the defenders out of position, while Ignace Tirkey’s reverse-flick went wide after a move from Halappa down the centre.
“We deserved to win this match as we played better from the beginning. India were not too bad but we managed to dominate. It’s a great feeling to win the series and the whole team needs to be congratulated,” Waseem said.
The last match of the series, played in two legs of four matches each in Pakistan and India, will be held under floodlights on Sunday in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.
Abbas yesterday said he was honored to enter field hockey’s Hall of Fame after he set a new world record for most goals.
“It’s a big honor to reach the mark,” said Abbas, who took 217 matches to set the new record.
“It’s a great feeling to equal Litjens’s world record but I am still learning. When comparison with Litjens comes, I consider myself a kid,” Abbas said.
Abbas is the latest addition to the line-up of international field hockey stars produced by Asia, a region that was once a powerhouse in the sport with India and Pakistan sharing 11 Olympic and five world titles.
The nephew of 1970s international Safdar Abbas, the wily player’s career stalled for the first two years as internal politics in Pakistan’s hockey federation meant he was not selected despite excelling at domestic level.
“We made the roof of our house as the playing field and would play for hours non-stop, much to the chagrin of the residents on lower floors,” Abbas’ uncle said.
Abbas finally made his entry at the international level against India in the 1998 bilateral series and instantly made his presence felt.
He anchored Pakistan’s win against India in the two annual series in 1998 and 1999. A year later, he helped Pakistan get through to the Sydney Olympics with 12 goals in the qualifying event in Japan.
In his second year at international level, Abbas earned a reputation as a goal scoring machine when he broke two world records — scoring the most goals in a calendar year (60 in 1999, beating Litjens’ 58 in 1978) and the fastest century of goals (two years, six months and 18 days).
Abbas has bagged 21 hat-tricks, a record unmatched in international hockey.
