KARACHI: A new leaf will be opened when Pakistan play host to Jubilee Insurance second Asian Team Event and third 6-Reds Snooker Championship which cues off in the Khorshed Mahal hall of Avari Towers on Sunday.

Pakistan had an enviable record in the baize game having both in organisational skills and achievements spread over quarter-of-a-century.

Setting aside security concerns, seven foreign teams have so far arrived here by Saturday event to compete in the 11-nation event which is being held in the country for the first time.

The teams that reached here include Qatar, India, Singapore, Syria, Hong Kong, Bahrain and Afghanistan. Three other teams — Thailand, Iran and Palestine — are due to reach by Sunday morning.

“Four nations — Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Nepal and the UAE — have pulled out after confirming their entries,” Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) president, Alamgir Shaikh, told Dawn.

He said 6-Reds event will be played over the first four days followed by the Team Event on the remaining three days.

Mohammad Asif, a former world amateur snooker champion who will defend his title in the 6-Reds contest, will spearhead Pakistan onslaught in the regional event.

All 11-members of Pakistan team have checked in the hotel — venue for the spectacle — on Saturday.

Besides Asif, Iran’s Hossein Vafaei Ayouri and Afghanistan’s Saleh Mohammad have made their mark in global events. The former held both the world’s senior as well as under-21 titles under his belt. The latter is a former finalist of world championship and ex-Asian champion.

The six-member Indian team arrived here in two separate batches. It comprised Kamal Chawla, Ketan Chawla, Varun Madan, Rahul Ajay Sachdev, Dharminder Singh Lilly and Mohammad Faisal Khan.

Meanwhile, the organisers were busy in giving final touches to the arrangements to make the venue ready.

As many as 36 matches will be played in five sessions on Sunday. The first session begins at 10am.

6-Reds groups:

A: Mohammad Asif (Pakistan), Mohammad Raees Senzai (Afghanistan), Ang Boon Chin (Singapore), Ketan Chawla (India), Som Bahadur Tamang (Nepal).

B: Hossein Vafaei Ayouri (Iran), Shahid Aftab (Pakistan), Ali Naseer Obaidli (Qatar), Majed Saeed Abdulnabi (Bahrain), Deepak Magar (Nepal).

C: Kamal Chawla (India), Amir Sarkhosh (Iran), Mohammad Asif Toba (Pakistan), Lin Tang Ho Alan (Hong Kong), Lim Chun Kiat (Singapore).

D: Chau Hon Man (Hong Kong), Karam Fatima (Syria), Hamza Akbar (Pakistan), Khalid Soliman Alastal (Palestine), Ali Ahmmad Yousofi (Afghanistan).

E: Boonyarit Kaettikun (Thailand), Chan Chee Keong (Singapore), Asjad Iqbal (Pakistan), Saeed Abooyesani (Iran), Varun Madan (India).

F: Mohsen Bukshaisha (Qatar), Omar Alkojah (Syria), Sohail Shehzad (Pakistan), Nader Khan Sultani (Afghanistan), Punit Popatial (Bahrain).

G: Saleh Mohammad (Afghanistan), Kritsanut Lertsattayatho (Thailand), Au Chin Wai (Hong Kong), Mahanna Naseer Obaidli (Bahrain).

H: Mutaz Salaymeh (Palestine), Mohammad Sajjad (Pakistan), Rahul Ajay Sachdev (India), Hamid Saeed Abdulnabi (Bahrain).

Sunday’s 6-Reds fixtures:

At 10:00am: Mohammad Asif v Som Bahadur Tamang, Hossein Vafaei Ayouri v Deepak Magar, Kamal Chawla v Lim Chun Kiat, Chau Hon Man v Ali Ahmmad Yousofi, Boonyarit Kaettikun v Varun Madan, Mohsen Bukshaisha v Punit Popatial, Saleh Mohammad v Mahanna Naseer Obaidli.

At 12:00noon: Mohammad Raees Senzai v Ang Boon Chin, Shahid Aftab v Ali Naseer Obaidli, Amir Sarkhosh v Mohammad Asif, Karam Fatima v Hamza Akbar, Chan Chee Keong v Asjad Iqbal, Omar Alkojah v Sohail Shehzad, Kritsanut Lertsattayatho v Au Chi Wai, Mohammad Sajjad v Rahul Ajay Sachdev.

At 2:00pm: Mohammad Asif v Ketan Chawla, Hossein Vafaei Ayouri v Majed Saeed Abdulnabi, Kamal Chawla v Lin Tang Ho Alan, Boonyarit Kaettikun v Saeed Abooyesani, Mohsen Bukshaisha v Nader Khan Sultani.

At 4:00pm: Mohammad Raees Senzai v Som Bahadur Tamang, Shahid Aftab v Deepak Magar, Amir Sarkhosh v Lim Chun Kiat, Karam Fatima v Ali Ahmmad Yousofi, Chan Chee Keong v Varun Madan, Omar Alkojah v Punit Popatial, Kritsanut Lertsattayatho v Mahanna Naseer Obaidli, Mohammad Sajjad v Hamid Saeed Abdulnabi.

At 6:00pm: Ang Boob Chin v Ketan Chawla, Ali Naseer Obaidli v Majed Saeed Abdulnabi, Mohammad Asif v Lin Tang Ho Alan, Hamza Akbar v Khalid Soliman Alastal, Asjad Iqbal v Saeed Abooyesani, Sohail Shehzad v Nader Khan Sultani, Saleh Mohammad v Au Chi Wai, Mutaz Salaymeh v Rahul Ajay Sachdev.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2014