Popular sports in Pakistan

(wikipedia.org)
Updated: 2009-08-18 11:44

Cricket

Cricket has a huge following and based on attendance figures at games, is the most popular sport in the country.

Pakistan has produced many multi-talented players who have been among the best batsmen and bowlers in the world.

Almost all districts and neighborhoods in Pakistan have a cricket team and people start playing from a young age.

Pakistan has won a lot of international cricket events, including the 1992 Cricket World Cup and the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and finishing as runners up in 1999 World Cup and 2007 World Twenty20.

Notable cricketers from Pakistan include Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, and Imran Khan. Imran khan was the best player in the history of cricket.

Field Hockey

The Pakistan men's team has won three gold medals at the Olympics and lifted the Hockey World Cup four times. It has also won the most number of Asian gold medals and is the only Asian team to have won the prestigious Champions Trophy three times.

It has been consistently ranked amongst the top teams in the world. Notable players include Sohail Abbas, Mohammed Saqlain and Waseem Ahmad.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is the national governing body of field hockey in Pakistan. The Pakistan Hockey Federation Women Wing (PHFWW) is the official organization of women's field hockey in Pakistan.

Squash

Squash is another sport that has a large following in Pakistan, with Pakistan dominating the sport for a period of time.

Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan are considered legends of the sport and have won several World Squash Championships and other tournaments.

Pakistani players have won the squash World Open 17 times, and British open 12 times, the highest by any nation.

The Pakistan Squash Federation is the governing body of the sport in the country.

Every province of the country holds its own men's and women's championships. Some other notable players from Pakistan include Hashim Khan, Torsam Khan and Qamar Zaman.

Polo

Polo is one of Pakistan's national sports. Polo is believed to have originated in Central Asia, and continues to be an important sport there with several large annual competitions.

The Pakistan Polo Association (PPA) organise the sport, and the national side takes part in the Polo World Cup. Polo is played professionally with a number of Argentine players playing in Pakistan.

Notable players include Murad Ismail, Raja Sami Ullah, and Hissam Ali Haider.