Shehzad aims for IBSF World Championship berth

Pakistan cueist looking to seal his spot through ranking event.

KARACHI: In-form cueist Imran Shehzad has placed great importance on the 3rd Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship, beginning today, as his performance could help him get a place in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming IBSF World Championship.

Imran, who is top-seed for the event is aiming to reach the final in order to be guaranteed a spot in the prestigious IBSF event along with world champion Mohammad Asif. Other than Asif, two other top ranked players from Pakistan will also have a shot at the IBSF world title.

The event will be held in Latvia in November.



“I want to participate in the IBSF World Championship, and for that I’ll give everything to win the 3rd Ranking Championship,” Imran told The Express Tribune.

“This ranking event is carrying several players’ dreams and so I’m expecting the level of competition to be very high. Very few points separate the players at the top of the ranking chart so anything can happen. I’m aware of this which is why I’ll try to at least make it to the final.”

Shehzad added that he had worked hard on his game after dropping out of the ranking championships in 2012 and that has paid off for him.

He stated that his main challengers will be Asjad Iqbal and Asif, but Shahid Aftab could also prove to be a dark horse in the race for the world championship berth.

“I’ve doubled my practise time leading up to this tournament, and hopefully this will reflect in my game and results,” he hoped.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association Chief Alamgir Sheikh said that they are hoping the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) will release special grants in time for the IBSF 6-Red World Championship and World Team Championship.

“We’re in talks with top PSB officials and hopefully they’ll release grants in time so that Asif and Mohammad Sajjad can participate in both tournaments which will be played in Ireland,” said Sheikh.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2013.

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