Asian Games squad to train without a coach
PBSA announces five-member squad for Asian Games that will be held in China.
KARACHI:
The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) has announced a five-member squad for the Asian Games that will be held in Guangzhou, China from November 12.
While the list includes Pakistan’s top four cueists - Imran Shehzad, Sohail Shahzad, Shehram Changezi and Mohammad Sajjad - on the basis of national rankings updated after the recently-concluded 2010 Snooker Cup, Khurram Agha completes the list as the fifth member of the team.
“Agha is one of the best players of this country,” the PBSA President Alamgir Shaikh told The Express Tribune. “He missed one ranking tournament and this is why his ranking dropped. He was included since he has a lot of international exposure and experience.”
The squad will begin its training camp in Islamabad from October 15 to November 10 before it leaves for China, accompanied by the team manager Shoaib Alam and the PBSA chief.
Alam will also supervise the training camp since a coach for the team has not been appointed. Former India number one Sanjay Sawant, who was picked as Pakistan coach, was denied an NOC by the interior ministry earlier and Shaikh has ruled out a replacement since there was little time left before the Games.
“There is very little time left. We had a couple of options in mind but we ruled them out since the camp has to start in a few days. I’m confident that our players can manage without a coach and there is no reason for us not to do well in the Asian Games.”
Pakistan number one Imran won the Snooker Cup after defeating Sohail in the final and although Sajjad was knocked out before the last-four round, the Sargodha-based cueist is Pakistan’s main hope after he won the Korat Cup and lost the final of the Asian Championship in Thailand earlier this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2010.
The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) has announced a five-member squad for the Asian Games that will be held in Guangzhou, China from November 12.
While the list includes Pakistan’s top four cueists - Imran Shehzad, Sohail Shahzad, Shehram Changezi and Mohammad Sajjad - on the basis of national rankings updated after the recently-concluded 2010 Snooker Cup, Khurram Agha completes the list as the fifth member of the team.
“Agha is one of the best players of this country,” the PBSA President Alamgir Shaikh told The Express Tribune. “He missed one ranking tournament and this is why his ranking dropped. He was included since he has a lot of international exposure and experience.”
The squad will begin its training camp in Islamabad from October 15 to November 10 before it leaves for China, accompanied by the team manager Shoaib Alam and the PBSA chief.
Alam will also supervise the training camp since a coach for the team has not been appointed. Former India number one Sanjay Sawant, who was picked as Pakistan coach, was denied an NOC by the interior ministry earlier and Shaikh has ruled out a replacement since there was little time left before the Games.
“There is very little time left. We had a couple of options in mind but we ruled them out since the camp has to start in a few days. I’m confident that our players can manage without a coach and there is no reason for us not to do well in the Asian Games.”
Pakistan number one Imran won the Snooker Cup after defeating Sohail in the final and although Sajjad was knocked out before the last-four round, the Sargodha-based cueist is Pakistan’s main hope after he won the Korat Cup and lost the final of the Asian Championship in Thailand earlier this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2010.