Asif, Sajjad confident of title defence

Pakistan cueists hope to retain IBSF World Team crown .

KARACHI: Defending IBSF World Team Championship partners Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Sajjad are confident about successfully retaining their title in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

They will be participating in both the team event and the World 6-Red Tournament, which will simultaneously be played from June 18 to 29.

“We’re extremely confident that we can win the World Team Championship for the second year running,” former IBSF World Champion Mohammad Asif told The Express Tribune.

“The best thing about us is the camaraderie that we have, which is necessary for such high profile team events. I remember last year there were times when I was down and out, but Sajjad continued to back me up and we won crucial matches to keep Pakistan in the hunt for the title.”

Asif stressed that teamwork was essential, since other sides in this edition would be much stronger.

Meanwhile, talking about his chances in the 6-Red World Championship, the cueist added that he was backing himself to win that as well.

Asif has already won the Asian 6-Red Championship and feels that he can take the victory as a launch pad going into another important tournament.

“My philosophy is simple,” he said. “No matter how big the tournament is, my aim will always be to be crowned the champion.”

His compatriot Sajjad has also echoed similar sentiments about him and Asif being able to defend their title.

“We certainly have a very strong team which is why we became champions last year,” said Sajjad. “If we played to our potential, we’ll return as champions.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2014.

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