Snooker federation content with duo’s show

Asif Toba lauded, cueist termed a future hope for Pakistan.

KARACHI: Imran Shahzad and Asif Toba’s performance in the IBSF World Championships – where the duo made it past the group stages – has been termed satisfactory by the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF).

The federation’s president Alamgir Sheikh lauded the effort after Pakistan exited the event following Shahzad’s last-16 defeat at the hands of Lee Walker. Pakistan’s top-ranked cueist had earlier defeated compatriot Toba in the last-32 to progress.

“Our cueists played well and I can’t complain,” Sheikh told The Express Tribune. “Toba’s performance surprised me as it was his first international tournament and he played well. Shahzad, though, could’ve done better.

“Toba hit a break of 137 as well so I think we’ve found another cueist of international calibre. We now have eight to nine good players who can represent Pakistan.”

Both players had a rough start to the tournament when they lost their opening matches — Shahzad lost to Krzysztof Wróbel 4-3 and Toba was outplayed by Rais Khan Sen Zahi 4-2. However, Toba topped his group while Shahzad finished second to ease into the knockouts after the former beat Australia’s Vinnie Calabresse 4-1 and Shahzad overcame Holland’s Joris Maas 4-1.

 ‘We were unlucky’

According to Sheikh, the cueists were unlucky to face each other so early in the knockouts.

“It happens once in a blue moon that compatriots battle out for a spot in the last-16. That, I think, was unfortunate and if they hadn’t got a tricky draw, one of them would’ve reached the quarter-finals.”

Meanwhile, according to Shahzad, facing Toba in the knockouts was like playing in a local ranking event final that took place in October.

“Toba could have avenged his defeat but he caved in,” said Shahzad. “But I do believe that I could’ve done better against Walker. It would’ve been my first World Championships quarter-final in two years.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2011.