| Pakistan is a country which loves aggressive | | | | dropped again. |
| sports. Field hockey is the national game of | | | | |
| Pakistan and the Pakistani players whether | | | | 1998 changed fortunes for both Sohail Abbas |
| old or new all played the game keeping their | | | | and the Pakistan national team. This player |
| country in mind. Aggressive games were played | | | | got his big break in 1998 and since then he |
| with only one single goal and that was to see | | | | hasn't looked back. In his first year he |
| the Pakistan hockey team right at the top. | | | | scored 20 goals and helped Pakistan win the |
| | | | Azlan Shah cup. He was also a vital |
| Sohail Abbas is a drag flicker of the | | | | instrument in the silver medal win at the |
| Pakistan team and is even called the world's | | | | Asia cup the same year. |
| best penalty corner specialist. His passion | | | | |
| for hockey started at a very young age. He | | | | This former Pakistan field hockey player has |
| was born into a family where sports were | | | | many records in his belt. He is a member of a |
| running in their blood. His father was a | | | | very elite squad of hockey players. Only nine |
| cricketer and so sports was a vital part of | | | | players are there on this list. He joins this |
| his life. His uncle Safdar Abbas was a hockey | | | | squad after scoring a double hat-trick. |
| player who scored a vital goal against | | | | Another record that he holds is for the |
| Argentina in the 1973 world cup. Safdar was | | | | number of goals scored by a single player in |
| only 16 years old and he became Sohail's | | | | a calendar year. In 1999 he scored 60 goals |
| inspiration and sport icon. | | | | and broke the records of former Pakistan |
| | | | captain Hassan Sardar and international |
| Sohail was educated in Habib Public school In | | | | player Paul Litjens. |
| Karachi. This is a school which has been | | | | |
| known for producing many great Pakistani | | | | Another record that he shattered that was |
| hockey players as Hockey is taught as a | | | | held by Dutch player Paul Litjens for over 22 |
| subject here. Sohail was a penalty specialist | | | | years was the number of goals scored by a |
| and played for the Under 18 Pakistan hockey | | | | penalty specialist. The 274 goals scored by |
| squad. | | | | Sohail Abbas are by far the highest number of |
| | | | goals scored by a penalty specialist. |
| His entry into the Pakistan hockey team has | | | | |
| been a very dramatic one. He was taken into | | | | His entry and exit from the team in his early |
| the junior squad after a great performance in | | | | career was in plenty but his focus and |
| the 1995 Quetta Junior hokey U18 | | | | aggression got him a place back on the team. |
| championship. After that he was dropped and | | | | This very same focus aggression and skill |
| made it back to the team when the played the | | | | made him the world's best penalty specialist |
| third junior Asia cup hockey tournament in | | | | and gave him his permanent seat in the |
| Singapore. He finally managed to find a spot | | | | history of Pakistani hockey. |
| in the team in the year 1997 only to be | | | | |