KARACHI: Pakistan’s top cueist and Asian champion Hamza Akbar, who has missed a couple of events of the World Professional and Billiards Snooker Association (WPBSA) circuit, will also miss the Sangsom 6-Reds world pro-am snooker championship being held in Bangkok from Sept 7 to 12, it emerged on Thursday.

National champion Hamza, who has qualified to play the circuit after he shocked Indian Pankaj Advani in the final at Kuala Lumpur to become Asian champion, can’t travel as his passport was with the British embassy for schengen visa.

Hamza’s name also didn’t appear in the groups of the event released to media by the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF).

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s three cueists will fly to Bangkok from Lahore on Sunday to compete in the event.

Mohammad Asif and Asjad Iqbal earned honours to compete in the event by virtue of finishing among the top four (semi-finalists) in the IBSF world 6-Reds and team snooker championship held in the city last month.

Third player Mohammad Sajjad earned qualification by finishing runner-up in the IBSF world 15-Reds snooker championship staged in Bangalore last year.

Forty-four players are set to vie for honours in the event. They have been drawn into eight groups. Six groups consist of six players apiece while the remaining two include four players each.

Groups of Pakistan players:

‘B’: John Higgins (Scot), Matthew Selt (England), Anthony McGill (Scotland), Mohammad Sajjad (Pakistan), Yuan Sijun (China), Boonyarit Keattikul (Thailand).

‘C’: Judd Trump (England), Michael White (Wales), Kristjan Helgason (Island), Mohammad Asif (Pakistan), Ahmed Galal (Egypt), Noppadon Noppachorn (Thailand).

‘F’: Joe Perry (England), Robert Milkins (England), Matthew Stevens (Wales), Asjad Iqbal (Pakistan), Rory Thor (Malaysia), Ratchapol Pu Ob Orm (Thailand).

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play