Pakistan?s Sohail Abbas is congratulated by teammates after he achieved the world record of 268 goals during the seventh Test against India in Amritsar on Friday. (AFP)

Amritsar: Pakistan won the penultimate game of the Friendship Test Series in hockey 2-1, sealing the series 4-1 here Friday. In the process, ace drag-flicker Sohail Abbas emerged as the highest goal-scorer in international hockey as the tourists warded off a late Indian resurgence to romp home.

Going into the match with a 3-1 lead and needing a win to clinch the eight-match series, and hence the Hyderabad match now will be only of academic interest.

Had India won, they would have been, at best, level the series. But they were clearly outplayed Friday, in a match marred by frayed tempers.

Abbas fired the first salvo in the eighth minute to overtake Dutch legend Paul Litjens? record of 267 international goals and give his team the vital lead.

Rehan Butt made it 2-0 in the 47th minute, before the Indians fought back to reduce the margin through a penalty stroke by Arjun Halappa a minute later.

The Indians did make a brave attempt to rally, and launched repeated attacks late in the match, but they were thwarted by the Pakistani defence.

The hosts, spurred on by a sizeable crowd at the Guru Nanak Dev University ground, very nearly found the equaliser in stoppage time, but a goalline save by a Pakistani defender ensured that the visitors latched on to the slender lead till the hooter.

The day, however, belonged to Pakistan?s 29-year-old penalty corner expert Abbas who erased Litjens? long-standing record with a brilliant hit.

Abbas, the veteran of 212 matches, had equalled the record in the fifth match in Delhi, but had failed to score in Chandigarh. Abbas, who also has the distinction of scoring the highest number of goals in a calendar year with 60 strikes, is also the fastest to reach both 100 and 200 goals.

The Indians, who had to again take the field without their experienced skipper Dilip Tirkey, lacked the consistency and firepower to pose any serious threat to their more fancied rivals.

Tirkey, it has been found, suffered a hairline fracture resulting from a blow that he took on his chin in Delhi and is virtually ruled out of the Hyderabad tie too.

Though the home team displayed some flashy moves, they were largely guilty of frittering away the few scoring opportunities that came their way in the must-win match.