Triple delight for Pakistan

Cueists progress to second round of world amateur championship.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s good showing in the IBSF World Amateur Snooker Championship continued as all three cueists advanced to the next round in Damascus, Syria. Imran Shahzad, Sohail Shahzad and Mohammad Sajjad will now compete in the knockout round that includes 44 cueists.

Imran beat Switzerland’s Franz Stahli 4-0 in his last Group L match as he finished with five wins out of six. The Swiss was simply no match for the Pakistan number one as Imran won 87-33, 68-20, 62-25, 94-1. Imran had earlier beaten Australian Vinnie Calabrese 4-2, South Africa’s Faaris Khan 4-1, Emir Yigit of Turkey 4-1, Syrian Omar Alkojah 4-0 while losing to Iran’s Sohail Vehidi 4-1.

Imran will face Group L leader of Scotland’s Bobby Cruickshanks.

Sohail survives scare

Meanwhile, Sohail’s ride to the next round was less rosy as he beat Hong Kong’s Lin Tang 4-2. The Pakistan number two, who is participating in the tournament for the first time, took the lead in the first frame 85-49 but was taken to task in the next two as Tang hit back 68-14, 64-52. However, Sohail avenged the two-frame deficit by winning 69-67, 68-36 before clinching the win 70-26.

Sohail finished at second place in Group H after winning five out of six matches in the first round. He will take on Egypt’s Maged Shafik today.

Sajjad makes it 3 in 3

Sajjad, who also finished with five win in six games, defeated Finland’s Janne Hakkinen 4-1 to progress to the next round. The Asian number two won the first two frames 78-08, 71-51 before Hakkinen hit back to make it 2-1, winning the third frame 82-55. However, Sajjad, who also won the Korat Cup in Thailand earlier this year, made life difficult for the Finnish cueist as he comfortably won the next frame 65-0 before clinching the next 75-26. He will now face New Zealand’s Gary Gillard today.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2010.