Academies in all four provinces need of the hour: PBSA

President Sheikh says meeting with IPC to discuss matters scheduled for next week

KARACHI: The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA), with the aim to produce quality players, will be meeting with the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination next week to discuss the establishment of Snooker Academies in all four provinces, informed PBSA President Munawar Hussain Sheikh.

Sheikh while referring to the performance of the players in international tournaments, where the players are not able to make it to finals, said that the need of the hour is to establish academies.

“We have seen the players playing well in pool matches, but once they get into the final they are not able to handle the pressure of the games and make mistakes to lose the game,” Sheikh told The Express Tribune.

The participation of Pakistan in international event is increasing and PBSA is trying to produce more quality players who bag accolades for Pakistan.

“We are also in need of an expert who can make the current and upcoming players mentally strong so that they can stay focused in the semi-finals and finals of the international tournaments,” he said.

He informed that in order to produce players and to make them mentally strong the PBSA is planning to establish academies in all four provinces and for that they will be meeting with the IPC minister Fehmida Mirza and will also try to talk to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“The PBSA is short of funds and for the establishment of the academies we will be seeking help from the IPC Ministry. This is the need of the hour. We need to produce more players who can win big for Pakistan,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the opening day of the Jubliee Insurance 3rd Ranking Snooker Championship, Muhammad Asif, Babar Masih and Muhammad Bilal won two matches each in their respective group fixtures.