Rise to top not without its cost: Masih

Pakistani number two cueist has borne years of hardships to get to where he is

KARACHI: Babar Masih is currently one of the premier snooker talents in Pakistan, with his standing ratified by his triumph in the summer’s national ranking championship as well as his participation in the Sangsom Six-Red World Championship in Thailand.

But to reach this level, the Rawalpindi native, who is the incumbent number two ranked cueist in Pakistan, has had to pay a massive price.

Masih, for the last many years, has practised eight to 10 hours a day despite strong family opposition and the knowledge that his mastery with the stick may not earn him a comfortable living even if he makes it to the top.

“I started playing billiards at the age of 14 before developing a liking for snooker, and that’s the only thing I’ve done since,” Babar told The Express Tribune. “I had to take beatings at home for playing snooker at such young age, but nothing shook me.



“My father was sceptical as he thought I won’t be able to make enough money out of snooker. He had a point too, as back then my victories barely netted me enough to get by.”

When his parents finally caved in, the pressure to succeed doubled as he now had to prove to his family that he made the right decision. But awaiting him was the ground reality that snooker, like many other sports, neither attracts sponsorship monies nor has any real space in the governmental setup.

“It was disheartening. I expected to land a job due to my talent but didn’t. Departments and sponsors should come forward to accommodate us,” said Masih. The lack of support did not keep Masih from striving to hone his talent, but the intense competition on the domestic circuit meant that it would still be some time before he emerged as a force to be reckoned with.



When he finally did make it to the top, he found that his path to international success was blocked due to a dearth of coaches. Hence, players are limited to using amateur advice or scouring the internet to better their game.

The hotbed of headaches could force anyone out the exit door, but Masih says he has stuck by his passion for all these years and is not quitting now.

“I’ve kept trying and pushing, and this has worked for me,” said Masih. “I will be doing the same in the future.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2016.

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