IBSF World Championship kicks off today

Sajjad, Hamza, Toba representing Pakistan in India; Asif absent

KARACHI: Pakistan’s trio of Muhammad Sajjad, Hamza Akbar and Asif Toba are set to represent Pakistan in the IBSF World Snooker Championship, which begins on Tuesday in Bangalore, India.

For the first time in the last three years, the Pakistan contingent will be without former world champion Muhammad Asif in a major international competition.

Asif had been integral to Pakistan’s plans for all major tournaments, but a downslide in form resulted in the Faisalabad-based cueist’s failure to qualify for the mega event after being knocked out in the early stages of the national ranking championship — an event that served as qualifiers in September.

Asif’s absence is undoubtedly being felt by his compatriots, but they have vowed to give their best in the championship.

“He’s a senior player with solid experience in international events, so his absence will be a big loss,” Hamza told The Express Tribune. “Now that he won’t be here with us, we need to raise our own game to make our fans proud.

“The championship is a chance for all three of us to try and repeat what he achieved back in 2012 [when Asif won].”

Meanwhile, national champion Sajjad hopes that rigorous practice in the past month will help the players achieve desired results in the prestigious event.

Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association secretary Munawwar Sheikh will represent the country as team manager, while Shabbir Hussain and Naveed Kapadia will be the officiating referees from Pakistan. The body’s president Alamgir Sheikh will attend the IBSF Annual General Meeting in India.

 

 

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