At the last edition, in 2014, Pakistan had failed to qualify -- for the first time ever.

Pakistan’s record of four World Cup victories is still unmatched. Moreover, it was Pakistan who not only first proposed a World Cup for hockey but also donated the magnificent trophy. They won the first World Cup too.

Here is the story:

During the 1968 Olympics, there were implicit suggestions to do away with some team games. Air Marshal Nur Khan, the president of the PHF presented the idea of the hockey World Cup to the FIH implying that if hockey has to survive as an Olympic sport and also become a truly universal game then just one world level tournament, the Olympics, held only after four years, was not sufficient. Hockey should take a cue from football and also have its own World Cup.

There were apprehensions among the FIH members that hockey being an amateur sport might not be able to sustain such an event. Eventually, the FIH agreed and it was decided to hold the first World Cup in 1971 in the country which floated the idea -- Pakistan.

The World Cup trophy was also designed by Pakistan. A masterpiece of craftsmanship: carved out of gold, silver and ivory, it exhibits a hockey stick and ball sticking on top of an embellished big globe.

The inaugural World Cup was to be staged in Lahore but the political situation in Pakistan after the general elections of 1970 got tense and the tournament was moved to Barcelona, Spain, in October 1971. Pakistan, the reigning Olympic as well as the Asian champions, were generally regarded as the favourites. However, their fortunes followed a script apparently drawn from an Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense movie.

They set off by trouncing the 1968 Olympics silver medallists Australia 5-2. Their hero was the burly full-back Tanveer Dar who registered the first-ever hat-trick in the World Cup.

The next day, Dar found the redoubtable Japanese goalkeeper Otsuka, impenetrable. Of the ten penalty corners only one could be converted by him, and Pakistan achieved a hard-earned 1-0 win. Otsuka was destined to play an important role in Pakistan’s progress, later in the tourney.

Dar recharged his batteries and slammed his second hat-trick in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Holland.

In the highly anticipated last pool match, between Pakistan and the hosts Spain, the packed stadium ruptured into cheers as the home team took a 2-0 lead. Pakistan fought back gallantly to draw level. Just two minutes from the end, Spain’s captain Pablo Amat managed the match winner through a disputed penalty corner. Pakistan lodged an official protest against the penalty corner award decision but had the mortification of forfeiting the deposit of 200 Swiss Franks as the protest was rejected.

Hence, Pakistan were on the brink of missing out the semi-final of an international tournament for the first time in their history. Their fate hung on the result of Holland-Japan encounter. If Holland won -- which almost everyone anticipated -- it was the end of the road for the Green-shirts. A draw would have meant they had to wait even longer for the outcome of the Spain-Australia duel. Even then Pakistan had to go through a replay.

What transpired during the Holland-Japan tie was unbelievable. The Dutch thoroughly dominated but the Japanese net-minder Otsuka was simply unbeatable. The Dutch could not find their way in spite of getting no less than 19 penalty corners while Japan managed to score the solitary goal of the match, ironically, on a penalty-corner.

Pakistan sneaked into the semi-final. A highly thankful Pakistani squad gifted the Japanese players with the Pakistan-made high quality hockey sticks.

Their opponents in the pre-final were traditional rivals, India. The semi-finals were not staged in Barcelona but in the nearby industrial town of Terrasa, the heart of Spanish hockey. The hockey players are revered like soccer stars there.

India drew the first blood when spearhead Rajvinder Singh put them ahead. Just before the half, defender Tanveer Dar sent a ball scooping deep into the Indian territory. The legendary predator Rasheed Jr sprinted to pounce upon the ball and in his characteristic style sent the ball into the cage in a flash. The goal provider Dar jumped in jubilation but in the process dislocated his knee and he had to be carried off the ground. This was a major blow for he was responsible for no less than eight of the total eleven goals scored by Pakistan in the pool matches. A penalty-corner came Pakistan’s way in the second half. As the other penalty corner taker Akhtar ul Islam was already not playing in the match (debarred for ill-discipline), Pakistan’s captain Khalid Mahmood had no option but to call the 19-year-old Munawwar uz Zaman to step forward. It was Munawwar’s second international game and the first penalty corner strike! The youngster responded magnificently by scoring the match-winner.

In the final, Pakistan again came across the hosts. A mammoth crowd thronged the hockey stadium of Real Club de Polo in bright sunshine. Having served the ban, Akhatarul Islam was back in the side. The lanky Akhtar scored the historic solitary goal, also off a penalty corner, in the final of the first World Cup.

In the third position match, India defeated the surprise package Kenya 2-1. The African team consisted of Punjabis of the Subcontinent, mostly Sikhs.

Three Pakistanis, half back Fazal and forwards, Asad Malik and Shahnaz Sheikh, were named in the World XI at the conclusion of the World Cup.

Who was the goal keeper of that XI? The man who made it all possible for the eventual winners, Otsuka of Japan -- also declared the player of the tournament.

Goalkeepers: Saleem Sherwani & M Aslam.

Fullbacks: Tanvir Dar, Akhtarul Islam & Munawwaruz Zaman.

Halfbacks: Arshad Chaudhry, Riaz Ahmed, Fazalur Rahman & Akhtar Rasool.

Forwards: Khalid Mahmood, M Ashfaq, Abdul Rasheed Jr, Asad Malik, Shahnaz Sheikh, Islahuddin & Jehangir Butt.

Note: Jehangir Butt, originally selected as a forward, mostly played at right half

Captain: Khalid Mahmood

Manager: Col Zafari

Scorers: Tanvir Dar 8, Rasheed Jr 3, Asad Malik, Munawwaruz Zaman, Akhtarul Islam