Hockey: Pakistan's key goal grabber out after blow to face

A stunning trademark drag flick on to the underside of the crossbar and into the Spanish goal during Pakistan's 4-2 second round loss was, sadly, the last act for super star Sohail Abbas at the Champions Trophy.

Smacked in the mouth not much later in Monday's game, Abbas spent hours at the hospital and yesterday was confined to his hotel room struggling to talk, let alone eat.

"It's only puree food for me now," said the Pakistani defender as he watched yesterday's action on television. "It is very disappointing but is just one of those things.

"The ball deflected into my face and I couldn't get out of the way and now I am out of hockey for six weeks and won't be able to play the four-test series against China when we get home."

Regarded as the first great exponent of the drag flick, Abbas revolutionised the way hockey was not so much played but the manner in which matches were decided. One of the first to work on the drag flick at penalty corners, Abbas, 34, made scoring an art form.

Why the drag flick? "I love to do different things and that was different," he said. Practice? "Yes, of course. Even now I still practice."

And the best place to aim the ball at that lightning speed: "The underside of the crossbar is the best of all." Opposing goalkeepers concur, saying they are the most difficult to keep out.

Born into a sporting family, and mixing hockey with cricket, Abbas first broke on to the senior international scene at a time when teams could bring their "penalty corner expert" off the bench to fulfil that role and then depart.

The rule has since been amended and only players on the field at the time the penalty is awarded can take part.

While hockey is Pakistan's national sport, Abbas admits cricket is more popular.

In clocking up more than 330 international caps, he has travelled the hockey-playing world but is on only his second trip to New Zealand.

Like most, he welcomes the chance to play here rather than the tournament's original venue in India.

"It is good to go somewhere different. For many in my team it is their first time to New Zealand and they have been impressed with the facilities and atmosphere here," said Abbas.

After a lengthy stint of club hockey in the Netherlands - six years at HC Rotterdam - it is little surprise he rates that country as his favourite.

"Like the cricket public in England, Dutch hockey fans are intellectual and know every aspect of the game. That adds to the atmosphere when you play there."

He is not surprised by the progress New Zealand hockey is making and points to the Black Sticks and Belgium as the countries making the most progress in the world rankings.

"They are both rising quite fast. That is good for hockey."

A sometimes controversial selection in his national side, Abbas missed last year's Commonwealth Games.

He played at the World Cup in New Delhi where Pakistan finished a disappointing last. At the Games in the same city a few months later, Pakistan, without their regular left back, finished a lowly sixth.

Recalled for the Asian Games, Sohail scored the go-ahead goal against Malaysia in the final as his team went on to win 2-0.

Sohail is the master goal-grabber yet, it appears, only from set play. Of his 41 Champions Trophy goals, 37 have been scored from penalty corners. The other four from penalty strokes. Not a field goal in sight.

Yet, despite his standing as one of hockey's greats, he has yet to climb to the top tier on the dais at a World Cup, Olympic Games or Champions Trophy.

He will now have to wait until next year's London Olympics to have another shot at ticking that box.

SOHAIL ABBAS

Born: June 9, 1977, Karachi, Pakistan
International debut: 1998, Pakistan v India series
International caps: 330
International goals: 328
Champions Trophy: 43 matches (8 tournaments), 41 goals.