Sohail Abbas: Pakistani Penalty Corner Specialist's historic goal against India when neither the keeper nor the umpire saw the ball
On October 8, 2004, the hockey teams of Pakistan and India competed in the seventh match of an eight-match hockey test series at the Guru Nanak Dev University Stadium in Amritsar.
Sohail Abbas scored several important goals before and after that but this goal was the most memorable
The Pakistani team was losing the match by one goal when suddenly it got a penalty corner. All eyes are on Sohail Abbas, who had a reputation for scoring on penalty corners, and he leveled the score.
Sohail Abbas had scored several important goals before and after, but this was Sohail Abbas' 268th and most memorable goal in international hockey. Because by scoring this goal, he broke the world record of 267 goals set by Paul Littins, a player from the Dutch city, which was maintained for 22 years.
Sohail Abbas not only broke Paul Littgens' record for most goals, but also surpassed them to end his international career with 348 goals.
How was the world record set?
Talking to BBC Urdu, Sohail Abbas has refreshed his old memories.
"I remember very well that the ball went to the left side of the goal so fast from my drag drag that the goalkeeper was not even visible, and the net exploded. The umpire didn't see the ball either, so he didn't score at first, but later he conceded the goal after talking to the players and watching the video.
Atmosphere after becoming a world record
Sohail Abbas says, "Before the match, because everyone knew that Paul Littins' world record could be broken in this match, so when I broke that record, there was a formal announcement in the stadium and the game was stopped for a while and both teams The players stood on both sides and raised their hockey sticks through which I passed.
According to Sohail, "The traditional significance of the Pak-India competitions and then my world record was the most memorable moment of my career that I will never forget."
Sohail Abbas says, "I think do your job honestly, leave the result to Allah, but since I am a human being, I had the idea of a world record in my heart and mind during the match to get a penalty corner and I scored on it." Do it When I got the penalty corner, not only me but the whole team was very excited. I was feeling the pressure but I was trying to calm down and keep it away.
Old Man Crying
Sohail Abbas remembers how he met Paul Littins after setting a world record.
"I was playing league hockey in the Netherlands when Paul Littins came to see me during a match. At the end of the match he came up to me and hugged me and said 'Old man from crying' (old man crying). Then he said, "Keep playing like this." As a senior and a great player, I had a lot of respect for him. He was very happy to meet me. "
Couldn't five hundred goals have been scored?
Sohail Abbas's greatest virtue is his humility, he talks without a veil. On the question of whether you could not play more so that they would score five hundred goals?
Sohail Abbas said, "It could have been a thousand and not 348." I thank God for making this round for me. I think everything I do is honest. I have left the game but the rules of life are the same. I exercise hard at the gym every day and run 15 to 20 kilometers on the ground in the morning. I have never set my goals for the future. "
When did the idea of a world record come about?
Sohail Abbas says, "I never thought I would break the world record. While he was playing, goals were being scored. As he played, others told him that this world record was 267 goals. If I kept thinking about this record, my progress would stop. So I didn't think much of it. "
Sohail Abbas's international career includes a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games. He was also part of the Pakistani team that won the Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament in 2000 and 2003. He also won silver medals in the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup, but failed to win a gold medal despite playing in three World Cups and three Olympics.
"If you look at the other side, Allah made me the highest scoring player and this record is still there," he said. The records are about to be broken as soon as they are made and I thank Allah anyway because there are many matches in which I tried on my own but could not score so I thought that without Allah's help the goal would not be possible Were.
"I wanted to be a forward and score goals."
Sohail Abbas's long-held desire was to become a forward and score a goal, but his coach sent him back with a full back.
"I was a sixth grader at Habib Public School. At that time, I wanted to be a forward like many other famous Pakistani players, but my coach Waheed Sahib told me that your The physique is not such that you can play forward, so they put me behind.
He says he started practicing scoring on penalty strokes and penalty corners. "I had no idea at the time that I would master it so that it would become my identity."
Records of Sohail Abbas
- World record for most international hockey with 348 goals
- The highest number of 60 goals in a calendar year in international hockey in 1999
- Completed 100 international goals in the shortest time, two years and six months
- Completed 200 international goals in the shortest period of five years and five months
- Pakistan has scored the most 22 goals in the Olympics
- Most goals scored by Pakistan in World Cup competitions
- Pakistan's top 40 goals in the Champions Trophy
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