IN MEMORIAM THE LEFT-HALF WHO CHANGED THE GAME.

Pakistan was the first nation to bag three gold medals in the grand slams of field hockey - at the Olympics (1968), the World Cup (1971) and the Asian Games (1970). Fazalur Rahman, who passed away March 9, was a member of all these squads and was regarded as one of Pakistan's greatest hockey players.

During his international career (1965-1972), Fazal, who used to play in the left-half position, also won silver medals at the 1966 Asian Games and the 1972 Olympics.

He was born in 1938 in Banda Phugwarian, a small town in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Back in those days, hockey was easily the most popular sport in this country. Fazal's local school, the Islamia High School, had a good team which helped his game flourish.

In the summers, Abbottabad regularly hosted the Khan Memorial Tournament, in which many teams participated from all over Pakistan. With the weather being quite warm in the plains of the country, the mountainous city of Abbottabad offered pleasant weather to host such a tournament.

Fazalur Rahman, who passed away earlier this month, was one of the greatest hockey players and redefined the role of the left-half for Pakistan

Initially playing for the local Usmania Club, Fazal was soon representing Abbottabad in tournaments at the provincial capital Peshawar. It was for the Peshawar Zone that Fazal first appeared in the national championships.

In those days, Mardan Sugar Mills had a very strong hockey team and they were always on the lookout for good players. Fazal was also recruited by them and he represented the Mardan Sugar Mills in tournaments in different parts of the country.

In 1960, he was called up for the national camp. A frustrating period ensued. For the next five years, Fazal's name was always among the probables. He always attended the camps, but missed the final selection somehow.

It was in 1965 that he finally got to wear the green shirt for Pakistan's tour of Indonesia and East Africa. That same year, he joined Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which was already studded with most of the country's international hockey stars.

For the Pakistan team, he had big shoes to fill. His predecessor at the left-half position was the legendary Habib Ali Kiddie, who was a part of the Pakistan team at no less than four Olympics.

Fazal not only turned out to be a worthy successor, but also redefined the role of the left-half. In the traditional Subcontinental style of the day, the left half was regarded as a purely...

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