A defender who devoured the opposition's defence.

There are good players and there are great players but what sets the latter apart is their ability to deliver for their team eternally and Sohail Abbas belongs to such a rare breed of great players. Sohail Abbas is a name synonymous with Pakistan Hockey. He has been a great ambassador for Pakistan. The most unique and complicated feature in field hockey, the Penalty Corner was mastered by Abbas through hard work and innovative skills. Each time the referee blew his whistle, Sohail got into his favourite move - striking the ball, deceiving the goalkeeper and finding a goal for his team. His endurance and confidence were envied by the opponents and he continued to ride high with his hastened moves that left the opposition clueless.

Born in Karachi to a first class cricketer, sports came naturally to him. A spectacular show in the under-18 championship earned him a place in the Pakistani Junior side, but the transition to the national side saw a series of travails as he was dropped from the junior team for the Netherlands and German tour. He was also left out from the Junior World Cup squad and had to wait 3 years for the national call. He made his debut in 1998 against India in Peshawar. Sohail starred in his 2nd game - drag flicking a penalty corner, he scored the match winner. Since then there has been no looking back. In 1999, Pakistan won the Azlan Shah Cup for the first time. They were unbeaten in the tournament and had won every game by a margin of two or more goals. In all Pakistan netted 29 goals and Sohail contributed a dozen, becoming the highest scorer for Pakistan in this particular tournament. Pakistan's debut Azlan Shah triumph was highly praised by the media and Sohail soon shot to fame. His popularity only increased as he marched on to become the leading goal scorer in the 9th Azlan Shah Cup, Asia Cup and the India-Pakistan series. In the same year, Sohail was also chosen for the World XI side that played Netherlands as a part of FIH's 75th Anniversary celebrations. Sohail reached the 50 goals mark with a hat-trick against Spain in the Rabobank Challenge in Amstelveen. But the true icing on the cake came when he broke former Dutch player Paul Litjens' record of 58 goals in a calendar year.

In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Sohail Abbas' hat-trick was instrumental in routing England 8-1, their worst defeat in Olympics history. With it, Sohail became the quickest player to score 100 goals in the history of the game. Sohail's popularity reached new heights when he became the joint highest goal scorer in the 2002 World Cup. He scored his 200th goal in the 25th Champions trophy against Argentina in 2003. He continued his phenomenal form in 2004 too, where he was the highest goal scorer in the 13th Azlan Shah Cup which included two hat-tricks. His hockey stick became his weapon to silence his critics as he overhauled Litjens' 22-year old prestigious world record of 266 goals in international field hockey. He achieved this feat in the seventh game against India in Amritsar at the historic Dhyan Chand Ground, which also helped Pakistan seal the series 4-2. His achievement was honoured by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf who invited Sohail to his official residence in Rawalpindi and presented Rs. 2 million to him as recognition of his feat. Unstoppable like a flowing river, his 274 international goals reflect his ability to wield magic with the stick. His trademark drag-flick goal not only crushed India's hopes in the 26th Champions Trophy but also trampled Mark Hager's efforts of being the highest goal scorer in the history of the tournament. Sohail's goal tally in 2004 reached 59 and he was on the verge of bettering his own record of 60 goals in a calendar year.

Sohail's remarkable hockey prowess helped him score an amazing 21 hat-tricks, including a double hat-trick in his career - a record which is still untouched and is seen as a dream for all hockey players. Sohail also holds the record for the fastest century and double century of goals. Sohail Abbas has the distinction of playing in major hockey leagues across the world like the German, Malaysian and the Dutch leagues. He also participated in the PHL for Hyderabad Sultans where he ended up being the second highest goal scorer that included a hat-trick against Bangalore Lions, thus entertaining the Indian hockey lovers. Its a testimony that his popularity is not confined to Pakistan but is spread beyond the borders.

Sohail always had a tendency to surprise people, be it the opposition teams or with his decision to retire from international hockey at the age of 28 with his fellow team mate Wasim Ahmed. But playing in his last game of the Champions Trophy in Lahore's National Hockey Stadium, Sohail ensured that Pakistan clinched its third successive bronze medal by beating India 3-2. It is coincidental that Sohail played his first and the last game against India. Speculations about his early retirement were rife, but he nullified all of them by saying that one should retire during his golden patch and not when others are waiting for you to quit the game.

Earlier the job of the defender was seen as restricting the rival teams from netting the ball inside the goal post but Sohail played the dual role of defending as well as attacking. Sohail has redefined modern day field hockey by blending caution and aggression. His prolific penalty conversion rate made him a utility player. Hence budding players today want to imitate this 'goal scoring machine.' His words, "My goals are not mine, they are of the team," say a lot about a person who prides himself in representing his country more than anything else.