Snooker: Asif to take on Sharjeel in quarters

Cueists geared up for knockouts in ranking event.

KARACHI: Pakistan number one Mohammad Asif will take on Sharjeel Mehmood, while second-seed Asjad Iqbal will be up against third-seed Sultan Mohammad in a mouth-watering clash as the quarter-final line-up of the Jubilee Insurance 3rd Snooker Ranking Championship was finalised yesterday.

Comeback star Shahram Changezi will face Sohail Shehzad and Khurram Hussain Agha will clash with Mohammad Jawed in the other last-eight encounters. Iqbal advanced to the quarters after beating Vishan Gir 4-0 with frame scores of 91-09, 88-15, 54-4, 86-0 including a break of 82 in the second frame.

The country’s top cueist Asif downed upcoming player Mohammad Majid, who made it to the semi-finals of the last ranking event, 4-0. Agha, who struck the highest break of the event (134), defeated Mehmood 4-2 in another group encounter, while Shehzad came out on top against Mohammad Imran 4-1.

Meanwhile, Changezi was given a lesson in snooker by Shahid Aftab, who won 4-0, and Sultan knocked out Abdul Sattar with a 4-2 victory. However, Changezi played down the heavy defeat, leading into the knockout stage.

"My qualification into the quarters was confirmed,” Changezi told The Express Tribune. “So I played a bit casually and that resulted in my defeat. But I should also appreciate my opponent who didn't give me many chances. I'll be back to my best in my next clash because my aim is to win the event. The quarter-final line-up is very interesting but I'm hoping to sail through."

Changezi added that his form has been good and that has given him the confidence to regain the top spot in the national rankings.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2012.