Sajjad looking forward to world cup

KARACHI: Pakistan’s national snooker champion and number two Mohammad Sajjad is looking forward to the amateur world cup in December, the event Mohammad Yousaf won for the first time in 1994.

While the details of the event have not been finalised, Sajjad said that he was confident of remaining in the country’s toptwo till then – a requirement to appear in the tournament. Asjad Iqbal is Pakistan’s topranked snooker player, after he won the country’s ranking tournament. “I’m number two in Pakistan right now after I lost the national ranking championship last month. Hopefully I’ll be able to make it to the world cup,” Sajjad told The Express Tribune. “That is my primary focus.

We’re playing a sixball tournament in Thailand next month so that’ll be good preparation.” Sajjad narrowly missed becoming the Asian champion – a feat achieved by Pakistan just once through Yousaf – after his loss to Thailand’s Issara Kachaiwong in the final of the Asian Championship but managed to hit the highest break (134) of the tournament. Meanwhile, the cueist added that he met Sanjay Sawant in Thailand and was looking forward to his arrival in the country. Former Indian cueist Sawant, who has been finalised as Pakistan’s coach, will train Pakistani cueists for a threemonth period.

Published in the Express Tribune, May 21st, 2010.