National Ranking Snooker Championship: Masih sets up exciting final against Iqbal

Cueists to fight it out for the top prize in best-of-11 frames duel

KARACHI: Babar Masih will take on Asjad Iqbal in the Jubilee Insurance 2nd Ranking Snooker Championship final today at the Movenpick Hotel in Karachi.

Both cueists registered compelling semi-final victories and will now vie for the crown in a best-of-11 frames battle.

Masih thumped Abu Saim 5-2 with scores of 63-38, 82-29(74), 1-107, 28-70, 20-64, 59-17, 108-2 in their last-four match yesterday.

On the other hand, Iqbal came back from 1-0 down to win 5-1 against Sohail Shehzad 4-86(69), 100-16(100), 80-40, 79-0, 72-43 and 65-52.

It will be Masih’s first championship final after entering the national circuit in 2013 and the Punjab-based player is excited about his prospects.

“It’s great to be going for my first final at this level, but I’m a bit nervous as well,” Masih told The Express Tribune. “My recent performances have been decent as I did well in both Asian 6-Red and Team Championships, and winning a few early frames will settle my nerves.”

The finalist recalled that he has appeared in three national semi-finals so far in his career, while he also played the IBSF World Team Championship semi-final last year along with veteran Shahram Changezi.

“I’m satisfied with my progress because I believe I’ve achieved reasonable success in a short span of time. The hard work I’ve been putting in my practice is paying dividends,” he added.

For Masih, the final is not just about having a shot at the title, but is also about his hope of getting a job with a government or private department like fellow cueists Iqbal, Mohammad Sajjad, Mohammad Asif and Hamza Akbar among others.

He hopes that if he goes on to win the championship, the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association will help him gain relevant employment so that he can focus fully on his game.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2016.

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