Pakistan crash out of snooker tournament

Sajjad, Aftab lose to Thai cueists in semi-final.

KARACHI:

Pakistan crashed out of the ENOC Team International Snooker Championship after cueists Mohammad Sajjad and Shahid Aftab lost to Thailand in the semi-final in Dubai.

The Pakistan pair hardly put up a fight as they went down 4-1 in the 90-minute match. After defeats in the first two frames, Sajjad and Aftab won the third before Thailand recovered from their setback and clinched the next two to seal a place in the final of the 12-nation tournament against UAE.

Pakistan number one Aftab admitted Thailand were too much to handle. “We lost our focus completely,” Aftab told The Express Tribune. “We tried our best but they were just too good for us. Lack of experience cost us the match and we just couldn’t cope the pressure.”

Meanwhile, Sajjad, who conceded that the semi-final clash was going to push Pakistan to the limit, said he was disappointed after losing to Thailand again and added there are lessons to be learnt before the amateur World Cup starts on July 11.

“It’s helpful because we can focus on our mistakes now. When I look back I don’t think I gave my best,” said Sajjad, who has twice lost to a Thai cueist in the Asian Snooker Championships.

Pakistan had defeated eventual finalists UAE twice and beat Syria while losing to Thailand in the group matches. Sajjad and Aftab prevailed over Syria in their last-eight clash before Thailand sent Pakistan packing.

PBSA not satisfied with performance

The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker (PBSA) Senior Vice-president Wahid Abdul Qadir, who was also the team manager during the tournament, was surprised after the losses.

Qadir said the pair had not done well in the series against Iran earlier and Sajjad’s performance in the last six months has left a lot to be desired.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2011.