Asian Champions Trophy: The Butt siblings who did their bit to restore Pakistan’s glory as coaches Premium
The Hindu
Two brothers, Rehan and Imran Butt, were passionate about hockey. Rehan was a sensation for his school and club teams, while Imran was left-handed and unable to play. When Rehan won an Umrah ticket for his performance in a school tournament, their parents allowed him to pursue hockey. Imran was drawn to the sport when he was asked to stand in as a goalkeeper for his brother's team. Rehan went on to become an overnight sensation, while Imran joined the junior side in 2006 and the senior side in 2012. Despite the opportunity to play together in the senior team, Imran was dropped before the 2012 London Olympics. They both retired in 2012 and 2018, respectively, and returned to the sport as coaches to restore Pakistan's lost glory.
Imran Butt, a silver medallist at the 2014 Asian Games and Champions Trophy, could not have cared less about hockey for it had no room for him, a left-handed player. Cricket, on the other hand, made no such distinction.
“I wanted to play as a forward but found there were no lefties here. So, cricket was fine for me. Azhar Ali (a former Pakistan cricketer) was a good friend and we used to play together. He is still one of my closest friends,” recalls Imran.
Things were brighter for Imran’s elder brother, Rehan Butt. Five years older than him, Rehan had found a companion in the hockey stick. He was a sensation for his school and club teams, flourishing in the role Imran yearned for.
It was after a performance at an intra-school tournament in Lahore that got Rehan unrelenting support from his parents. Academics could take a back seat for me, Rehan remarks with a cheeky smile.
“Pehli baar jo padhai ki talvar uthee thi hamare sar se” (The first time the pressure of academics from parents relented) was after a school tournament called Jaffer Memorial in Lahore. I was the best player in that. I got a ticket for the Umrah (a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia) as a prize. So, my father was delighted that at such a young age I got him an Umrah, and he always promoted me to continue playing,” says Rehan.
The Imran puzzle, however, still needed solving. Long interventions to at least try a right-handed stick and tagging him along to watch his club matches yielded no results.
What ultimately pulled Imran to the sport were dire circumstances.