Snooker: 40 nations to feature in global event

KARACHI: Pakistan’s trio of Muhammad Sajjad Asif, Muhammad Asif Toba and Hamza Akbar will be up against cueists from 39 other countries in the upcoming IBSF World Snooker Championship, which begins on November 18 and will end on November 29 in Bangalore, India.

According to the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA), the hosts have received confirmation of entries from 40 countries for the men’s championship, which will be held at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium.

The countries which have sent a positive response include Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, China Hong Kong, Cyprus, Egypt, England, Europe, Finland, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Oceania, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, the US and Wales.

A total of 105 players will be present at the event, with hosts India fielding as many as 16 cueists.

The PBSA executive committee decided to select Hamza over Asjad Iqbal and Imran Shehzad, after all three were tied for a single position in the qualifiers, due to his current superior form, which saw him claim bronze at the Asian 6-Red Championship recently.

 

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