Amir joins Majid in knockout round

Both Pakistani cueists progress in world under-21 event.

KARACHI:

Pakistan cueist Hunain Amir joined compatriot Mohammad Majid in the knockout phase of the IBSF World U21 Snooker Championship after defeating Scotland’s Rhys Clark 4-1 in his decisive group encounter in Wuxi, China.

Amir, who lost the opening frame 69-10, staged a remarkable recovery to win the next four 85-5, 68-57, 78-44 and 68-8. Amir ended fourth in the group after winning three of his six matches and said that his focus now was to do well in the second round of the tournament.

“I’ve enjoyed mixed fortunes so far in the tournament,” Amir told The Express Tribune. “This resulted in a delay in my qualification for the next round and I was under severe pressure in this match. But my manager Shabbir Daruwala helped me overcome the stress and urged me to play fearlessly which ultimately helped me win the match.”

Amir added that he will continue his attacking approach since every match will be a do-or-die clash.

On the other hand, the other Pakistan cueist Majid, who had already qualified for the last-32, lost to Austria’s Alexander Gauss 4-2 in his final group match. Gauss won with frame scores of 47-64, 62-46, 70-44, 68-1, 55-64 and 90-11. The loss meant Majid finished third in his group.

In the knockout round, Majid will take on Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham while Amir faces China’s Zhou Yuelong.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2012.