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The boys from Bannu
7
Hameediat the top of the
podium in the 1960 Olympics
As attempts at resuscitating Pakistan hockey continue apace,
there is more good news: Bannu’s players are back in the big
time. The country’s Under-18 boys team, which appeared in the
U-18 Asia Cup and played a series against Oman a few weeks
back, included three players from Bannu: Amjad Ali, Khairullah
Shah and Mohibullah. Pakistan’s U-21 side, silver medallists at
the recent Sultan of Johor Cup also included a Bannu boy, Junaid
Kamal.
Hockey has been the district’s identity. In fact, Bannu has played
the role of a nursery for Pakistan hockey, producing many greats
of the game along the way. Things had stalled after Bannu
became victim to terrorism and militancy; till a few years ago,
Bannu was among the towns most affected bv terrorism. Outdoor
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ies had almost ceased to exist as fear reigned the
sports acti
streets.
But Operation Zarb-i-Azb has managed to restore peace in the
area. Slowly but surely, we now see the resumption of hockey
activities where not long ago people feared stepping out of their
homes. Life is returning to Bannu and to Pakistan hockey.
It was a colonial cantonment that became a
bustling town renowned for producing superstars.
After a decade of reeling from war, Bannu is
beginning to churn out hockey talent once again
A British import that became a local delight
The seeds of hockey in Bannu, as in many other parts of the sub-
continent, were planted by the British.
Bannu was founded as Dhulipnagar in 1848 by Herbert Benjamin.
Edwardes. He was a lieutenant in a regiment of the East India
Company’s private army which was posted there. Although the
outpost was initially named after the Maharajah of Lahore at the
time, the town became Edwardesabad in 1869. In 1903, it finally
received its current name, Bannu.
Hockey was seen as a game to attain peak physical fitness and
soldiers of the British army were into the game because of this
reason. Watching soldiers in action, Bannu’s indigenous youth
was also inspired to play this game. Little did they know then
that hockey will become a source of pride for the area.
The man who became a real source of inspiration was no less
than the ‘juggler’ Dhyan Chand, regarded by many as the
greatest hockey player of all time. Dhyan Chand stayed in Bannu
for about four years in the latter half of the 1930s with his army
unit. Apart from his army team, the legend also turned out for
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local clubs and people flocked to see him in action. Thus the
roots of hockey further spread during his stay in Bannu.
But Bannu’s hockey had already created a niche for itself in the
sub-continent. As far back as 1935-36, Bannu’s oldest outfit,
Waziri Club, had won the All-India tournament in Bhopal (now
the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh). There were a
number of clubs in Bannu but the main rivalry was between the
Waziri Club and the Giants Club. Their matches attracted crowds
of up to 7,000, which is remarkable for a town of around 100,000
at the time.
Hockey activities were not confined to the clubs, however. The
sport was more or less part of the curriculum in most schools
while most teachers used to supervise training themselves. The
main competition was between Islamia High School and
Government High School. Their encounters had a community
flavour attached to them. The Muslims supported the Islamia
High School while the Government High School was cheered on
by the Hindus.
The pre-Partition Bannu hockey boom coincided with Hitler’s
war. Therefore, Bannu players couldn’t don international colours
since there was no international hockey during the war years.
Throughout this period though, clubs from Bannu excelled in
various All-India tourneys. It was only a matter of time before
Bannu would be recognised on the big stage.
The heroics of Hameedi
After nearly a century of hockey tradition, a player from this
hockey-crazy town was finally noticed ... but he didn’t quite
make it.
In 1947, a player by the name of Yaqoob was selected for the All-
India team. But the youngster spurned the offer as he wanted to
serve his newly-independent country, Pakistan. Unfortunately
for him, he was never selected by the new country’s team.
Nevertheless, Pakistan’s first-ever international team, which
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had the honour of participating in the 1948 Olympics, included a
youngster from the town of Bannu. His name was Abdul Hameed,
better known as Hameedi.
Hameedi rose to the rank of brigadier in the Pakistan Army. He
was an outstanding inside-right, not only a schemer but also a
tremendous scorer. Hameedi was a member of both the 1948 and
1952 Olympics teams.
But these teams, despite having several outstanding players,
could only finish fourth. The main reason of the failure was a
lack of harmony and discipline. Hameedi was then made the
captain of the team in 1954 and he didn’t disappoint — the army
officer inculcated much-needed discipline and spirit in the team.
Under Hameedi’s able captaincy, Pakistan won the silver medal
at the 1956 Olympics losing to India by a controversial goal in the
final. Still, it was an epoch-making moment in the country’s
sporting history as it was Pakistan’s first ever medal of any
colour in any Olympic discipline.
Then, in 1958, Hameedi led Pakistan to a gold medal at the Asian
Games. It was the first time that India was relegated to second
position in any international hockey tournament. And finally
Hameedi attained eternal legend status by skippering Pakistan to
its maiden Olympic gold (in any sport) at the 1960 Olympics in
Rome, beating India 1-0. This victory ended India’s 32-year hold
on the Olympic title and announced Pakistan’s arrival as a
hockey superpower.
Watching his game in Rome, the famous English hockey
journalist R.I. Holland paid tribute to Hameedi by calling him
“the most constructive forward in the world today.” Hameedi’s
tally of 16 Olympic goals remained a Pakistan record till 2008
when Sohail Abbas surpassed it.
Even after his retirement from professional hockey, Hameedi
managed the Pakistan team on quite a few occasions, including
the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games with Pakistan winning silver and
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gold meaais, respectively. His 1aSt stunt as manager was tne 1973
World Cup, where Hameedi was handicapped since he was
overseeing a second-string side. The Pakistan team which had
participated in the 1972 Olympics was banned by the
International Hockey Federation (FIH) for inappropriate
behaviour after their defeat in the controversy- marred final
against the hosts West Germany. And yet, it goes to Hameedi and
his team’s credit that Pakistan still managed to finish fourth at
the 1973 World Cup.
Hameedi’s last role was as the secretary of the Pakistan Hockey
Federation (PHF). He assumed the post when the country’s
hockey was at the lowest ebb till then. Pakistan had slumped to
its worst positions in the World Cup and the Olympics. They
ended 11th at the 1986 World Cup and finished fifth at the 1988
Olympics.
Then began a revival under Hameedi’s watchful gaze. Pakistan
regained some of their lost prestige by finishing as the runners-
up in the 1990 World Cup, superbly hosted in Lahore by
Hameed’s PHF, and then by winning the bronze at the 1992
Olympics. In addition, Pakistan regained the Asian Games title
apart from retaining the Asia Cup.
Without Hameedi, the story of Pakistani hockey would be
incomplete. He served the game in almost every possible
capacity: player, captain, manager of the team, and secretary of
the PHF. At all times, Hameedi brought hope with him.
The roar of Rasheed
Bannu’s second son to attain legendary status was Abdul
Rasheed Junior, the younger brother of Abdul Hameed. Originally
a right-in like his illustrious brother, he was converted into an
opportunistic centre-forward by Brigadier M.H. Atif. He turned
out to be a predator availing even half chances. In his first big
tournament, the 1968 Olympics, he was joint top-scorer of the
gold medal winning team. Rasheed Jr was again Pakistan’s top-
scorer at the 1972 Olympics.
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In between, he also earned a World Cup winners medal in its
inaugural edition of 1971. Rasheed ended his career emulating his
brother by captaining Pakistan at the Olympics (Montreal, 1976).
His tally of Olympic goals is just one short of Hameedi’s 16 goals.
He enjoys a unique distinction in Pakistan sports history to be
the only sportsman to have a complete set of Olympic medals:
Gold (1968), Silver (1972) and Bronze (1976). When he called it a
day, Rasheed Jr’s tally of 96 international goals was a Pakistan
record at the time.
Like Hameedi, Rasheed also had a managerial spell. And he
achieved one distinction that even eluded Hameedi — managing
Pakistan to a global title, World Cup 1994. He was also the
manager of the 1994 victorious Champions Trophy team.
The sublime Saeed
The next outstanding player to emerge from this southern
division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was Saeed Khan. Primarily a
left-in, he was also effective playing left-out. Saeed was a bit
unfortunate as his period coincided with that of the greats
Shahnaz Sheikh and Hanif Khan.
Although, he represented Pakistan from 1974-1982, he mainly
remained a reserve left side forward. He would have been a
number one choice in almost any other side of his era. When
given a chance, Saeed Khan never disappointed. His misery can
be assessed from just one instance. He was Pakistan’s vice-
captain for the 1983 Champions Trophy, yet he mostly remained
on the bench because the playing left-in was none other than
Hanif Khan, the skipper of that side.
However, Saeed Khan has the satisfaction of being a proud
member of two World Cup winning squads (1978 and 1982) and
three Asian Games winning sides (1974, 1978 and 1982). Then he
returned as coach of the national team from 1993 to 1995 (with
city-mate Rasheed Jr as the manager). In that role, he achieved
the distinction of winning the 1994 World Cup as well as the
Champions Trophy, the same year.
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After a long absence, Saeed Khan was given the assignment of
manager and head coach of the Pakistan’s women’s team this
year. Under his guidance, the newly-raised national women’s
team surprised everyone by reaching the semi-final of the Asian
Hockey Federation Cup in October.
Farhat’s fire and fury
Temperamental Pakhtun Farhat Khan
The Bannu conveyor belt continued to roll. Soon after Saeed
Khan’s departure from the playing field, another player with
sublime skills entered the fray. His name was Farhat Khan,
whose international career had two spells and interestingly in
different roles.
He played as left-in from 1985 to 1987 before being dropped. He
was recalled in late 1989. At the time, Farhat was still playing as a
left-in on the domestic circuit but with the national team in dire
need of an attacking centre-half, he was roped in.
Farhat proved the selectors’ call to be correct. A hot-tempered
Pakhtun, he thrived under pressure and was a big match player.
Farhat turned out to be the real lynchpin of the Pakistan team.
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He played a stellar role in reviving Pakistan hockey’s fortunes
after the dark period of 1986-1988. Pakistan were runners-up at
the 1990 World Cup and bagged bronze at the 1992 Olympics. The
national team also regained the Asiad gold and retained the Asia
Cup.
Mohib’s magic
2
Bannu’s hockey stadium is
named after Qazi Mohib
Another Bannu man who appeared at almost the same time as
Farhat was Qazi Mohib. Very stylish for a full-back, Mohib
possessed fine stick-work and dribbling ability apart from
defensive solidity. His attacking skills were picked up by
Brigadier Atif, under whose managership he played as a right-
half. Mohib fully justified his manager’s faith in him and was
declared ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the 1988 Champions
Trophy.
During his brief career, he received many distinctions. Mohib
became the third man from Bannu to captain Pakistan. He led his
country to second place in the 1990 World Cup, first position in
the 1989 Asia Cup as well as the 1990 Asian Games. Qazi Mohib
passed away in 1997. The hockey stadium in Bannu is named
after him.
Trwill ha a araat ininetica nat ta mantian a narcan wha dacnita
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JU Wi Ue @ BLEEL Wy UOULE HUE LU HICLUULL @ PoLoUM, WAU UCapiLe
not getting the national colour, remained the greatest servant of
Bannu hockey for almost four decades. Late Zafar Ali Zafari (not
to be confused with Col Zafari, another Pakistan hockey
Olympian) had been the foremost hockey organiser in Bannu
from 1960 till the mid-1990s, when only old age stopped him.
from continuing his mission. He organised many All-Pakistan
tournaments in Bannu and it was his endeavours that resulted in
the conversion of the municipal committee ground into a hockey
stadium, where an Astroturf was laid later. Zafari also started the
Bannu School of Hockey where young lads were trained. Zafari
was the associate manager of Pakistan’s victorious team of the
1984 Olympics.
Since Farhat Khan’s departure from the scene, only a handful of
Bannu players have donned the green Pakistan blazer. None of
them became mega-stars. Bannu was one of the places badly hit
by terrorism for almost a decade but now, hockey grounds are
buzzing once again. The results have been instant and there are
definite indicators that in the very near future, stars would
emerge from Bannu in the tradition of Hameedi, Rasheed Jr,
Saeed, Farhat and Mohib.
Bannu is back and, hopefully, so will Pakistan hockey.
Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 18th, 2016
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