KARACHI, July 9: A four-member Pakistan snooker team left here for Beijing on Tuesday night to feature in the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) under-21 snooker championship being held there from Thursday.

The team was picked on the basis of national junior rankings by the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF). It comprised national junior champion Mohsin Amin, No 2 Amir Tariq and semi-finalists Mohammad Majid Ali and Hamza Akbar.

Mohsin and Amir will make their debut while the other two have donned national colour earlier.

Hamza, who rose to fame by crowning national title earlier this year, is the most experienced players. A former Pakistan junior No 2, he featured in the Asian Snooker Championship held in the city in the recent past followed by participation in the Asian snooker team championship at Doha, Qatar.

According to draws, Mohsin has been placed in group G while Amir has been drawn in group H. Majid and Hamza will be up against opponents in groups M and N, respectively.

As many as 87 cueists from 29 countries will vie for honours in the event which concludes on July 19. The cueists have been placed in 15 groups.

“Both Hamza and Majid have gone through rigorous coaching and have the ability to deliver the goods,” the PBSF president, Alamgir Shaikh, who has accompanied the team as delegate, said on the eve of departure.