How was your early life? Were you interested in hockey since childhood or accidently started playing?
Well my early life was just normal. I studied in 3 schools. Till class 4 I was in Education Centre. Then after that I went to Divisional Public School (D.P.S) till class 7. Then I moved to The Punjab School and did my metric from there. It was my father’s dream that his sons study in Govt. College Lahore and my both brothers and sister were very good in studies. I was just normal, so whenever my father told us that he want us to study in Govt. College, I always thought that he is saying to my brothers, because I was just normal and I can’t make it but reality was totally different it was only me who studied there and that was because of Hockey.
My elder brother Suhail Akbar, who is chartered accountant (CA) and lives in New Zealand and also national there, was very sports loving and use to watch all the sports. From him, I got this thing. I also start loving sports and then in The Punjab School we had a great sports teacher Musle-u-Din, so I started playing all the games in the school then. I played athletics, table tennis, badminton, basket ball, football, cricket and hockey.
There were two teams in The Punjab School, junior and senior and I was in junior.. Our sports teacher organized a hockey match between senior and junior team of the school during school timing and whole school watched the match including all teachers and principal. One of my best friend was my class fellow and was the captain of the junior team, a week before the match said to me, “We don’t have goalkeeper in our team and you use to play good football and then in cricket also u use to take good diving catches, so can you please stand in the goal for the match?” I straight away said, “yes”. Still I don’t know why I said yes, but that was one of the best decisions of my life. I was very good in that match and we won with score of 3-1. Then in class 9 and 10 I was not allow from my father to do any sports because it was very important years for me for my future.
As I was just a normal student so when I did my metric, I got 621 marks out of 850 so it was not possible to get admission in a good college. So I applied for admission on sports base in all sports in good colleges of the city and Govt. College was also one of them as it’s the best. When I was there for the trails, Rehan Butt was the captain of the inter team and they were also looking for a goalkeeper. Rehan brought his cousin for the trails as he knew that no goalkeeper going to be there for the trails, but I was there. His cousin never played hockey. In trails, once again I was very good. I don’t know how 
So then Rehan said that he want me instead of his cousin. That was the day when I and Rehan become very good friends. Then there was a inter college tournament so we had a training camp in college for which I had to miss college for one month for which my father was not agree.. Then Rehan called my father and said just give him one month after that he will do his studies, so he agreed.
So then Rehan said that he want me instead of his cousin. That was the day when I and Rehan become very good friends. Then there was a inter college tournament so we had a training camp in college for which I had to miss college for one month for which my father was not agree.. Then Rehan called my father and said just give him one month after that he will do his studies, so he agreed.
After I played inter college, I was selected as a reserve goalkeeper in Lahore board team for the inter board tournament and then I joined Waheeb hockey club there i met Rana Zaheer and Haider Rasool they both gave me training. I was selected as reserve in Lahore division team. Then I played national junior championship from Lahore as a first keeper in 1998. Then I got an offer from PTCL and joined them and played my first senior national champion in 1999 and after that I was called in national senior training camp and then I had my debut in 2001 Champion’s Trophy.
What’s your point of view about World Series Hockey? Did you get any offer from World Series Hockey? Do you have any plans to join it?
I think the World Hockey Series (WHS) is a great event with a lot of money in it. The only thing is that it’s not legal, otherwise it’s a great step to make hockey more professional and famous. They also asked me to play but my only concern was that I will only play it if it will be legal and will be allowed from Federation International Hockey (FIH). So if it will be allowed in future from FIH, I will definitely love to be part of it.
What’s the future of hockey in Pakistan?
Future of hockey in Pakistan seems bad as there are no confirm jobs for the players. Every player gives his prime time to the ground. He works hard to be in the team and at that time he should be studying in college or university, but just because if he will be in the national team he will get good money and can support his family and can have a good life. But there are no jobs the tours we do we got just 100 US$ per day which is no doubt increased from 50 US$ but still I think it’s not much enough to have a good life. Then if we have a training camp in Pakistan for any tournament we get 800 rupees which is also increased from 250 rupees but still not enough to match the current expenditures. That is why players prefer to play league hockey to have some money to run their families and can have a good life. My point is that if you will not bring handsome money for a player you can’t attract the youth towards the national sports. Then there so many pressures on hockey player, he has to perform. He has to win and then in the end when he look his bank account, he get worried that he don’t have much money. What he will do in future and then players start looking for other ways to stay in the team so they can at least get some money. In this, I don’t blame a player. He do all this because he don’t have any other choice and if he get good financial support after playing his national game I think performance of Pakistan team will improve a lot.
At which place and against which team, do you enjoys to play?
I always enjoy playing hockey. It doesn’t matter where and against which team.
What do you think, should Pakistan hockey adopt to retain the lost status in hockey world?
I don’t have any doubt that Pakistan got lot of talent of hockey but that need to get good trainings and education. We need to change the culture of hockey and also need to change the mentality of the coaching staff and players. We have to think professionally and act professionally not only players but all the hockey people in Pakistan. If you don’t like any player as a person or he is playing from a club in his city which is against PHF it doesn’t mean that he can’t be in the team, no matter how good he is.
Coach should be local or foreign?
I totally support that coach should be foreign because he will not have any personal influence with the selection of any player and he will not be involved in all the dirty politics, which is unfortunately have in our culture. We have some good coaches in Pakistan also but they can’t work because they are against PHF or PHF have some problems with them. If you can solve this issue, then I think there are few local coaches like Tahir Zaman and others, that can really coach the team well. Otherwise, I will vote for the foreign coach.
What’s the reason; a Pakistani teenager is following or idealizing Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, and Wasim Akram instead of Shahbaz Ahmed, Sohail Abbas, and Shakeel Abbasi despite Hockey being the national sport?
The reason that youth is not coming in hockey is that it has less money in it and every one want to have a good future and want to earn more so he can have a good life which I think really take a long time in hockey as in cricket after a year you get very stable life with less financial worries.
Which is most dangerous drag flicker he has goal kept against?? Any Dutch, Aussie or Spanish drag flicker? How many times has it happened, Salman v Sohail and what’s Salman’s percentage of keeping out Sohail’s lightening flick?
For me Sohail Abbas is the best. He is the king of penalty corner but other teams also have some good players for penalty corner like Takema (Holland), Luke Dorner (Australia) and Ashely Jackson (England). I played lot of times against Sohail and some time he won and some time me. But as he is the King so in total he is the winner.
We don’t have good wicket keeper since Moin and Rashid’s era. Any chances to join Cricket team?
About cricket, no I don’t have any plans to join it because I think it’s a different job and for me goal keeping is more interesting then to be a wicket keeper and then it’s a common saying in hockey that “Goal Keepers Are Amazing People!!!” so I am amazing.
Which rule would you like to change in hockey?
If I can change any rule in hockey, I will allow to goalkeeper to join the penalty corner attack, which are taken after the final whistle not the one during game.
What kind of food you like? Chinese, Italian or desi? Favorite dish?
About food I don’t have any special thing that I eat. I eat whatever is in kitchen but I love Bhindi that my mom cooks.
Favorite place for traveling?
I like to go to Holland, India, Australia and New Zealand.
Favorite player in any sports?
There are many good players in all the sports all over the world, so it’s really hard to choose one, but I will say Waseem Akram.
What kind of dress you mostly use?
I don’t like formal dress so normally I prefer casual dress.
What would you be if not a hockey player?
If I was not a hockey player then I would be in Army.
Happiest achievement?
Allah gave me lot of happiness and achievements in my life for which I am always thankful to Allah.
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