KARACHI: Pakistan’s snooker quartet that leaves for Cairo on its way to Egyptian city of Hurghada in the wee hours of Monday to participate in the IBSF World Snooker Championship has expressed optimism to do the nation proud by conquering the title for the third third time in history.

“We’ve prepared hard and will go all out to win laurels to the nation again,” they told Dawn on the eve of their departure.

The quartet includes former world amateur champion Mohammad Asif, incumbent world No 2 Mohammad Sajjad, Shahram Changezi and Abdul Sattar.

“We request to the nation to pray for our success in the event which runs from Nov 10 to 21,” said Asif.

Another noted cueist Sajjad, who went down fighting to Chinese Yan Bingtao 7-8 in the final at Bangalore last year, also expressed similar sentiments.

Mohammad Asif

Age: 33 years

Employment: National Bank of Pakistan.

National Ranking: I

Achievements: Won national titles in 2009 and 2012; won IBSF world snooker title at Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2012; won IBSF Team Event at Carlow, Ireland, in 2013; won Asian 6-Reds at Doha, Qatar, in 2013; silver medallist in IBSF Team Event at Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, in 2014; silver medallist in Asian Team Event at Karachi, Pakistan, in 2014. Won bronze medal in IBSF 6-Reds event at Karachi, Pakistan in 2015. Besides, he has participated in many other events abroad.

Award: Pride of Performance

Mohammad Sajjad

Age: 30

Employment: National Bank of Pakistan

National Ranking: 2

Achievements: Won national titles in 2008 and 2010; silver medallist at Asian snooker championship at Thailand in 2010; won Thai Open in 2010; won IBSF Team Event at Carlow, Ireland, in 2013; silver medallist in IBSF Team Event at Sharm-el-Shaikh, Egypt, in 2014; silver medallist in IBSF 15-Reds event at Bangalore, India, in 2014.

Abdul Sattar

Age: 31

National Ranking: 3

Achievements: Participated in seven-nation tournament at Karachi in 2012; participated in Asian snooker championship at Karachi in 2013; participated in Asian 6-Reds and Team Event at Karachi in 2014; participated in IBSF 6-Reds and Team Event at Karachi in 2015.

Shahram Changezi

Age: 31

Employment: Nust Islamabad

National Ranking: 5

Achievements: Former Pakistan No 1 in 2008; member of Pakistan team that won bronze medal in snooker team event at Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010; represented Pakistan in Asian Team Event at Karachi in 2014; privately featured in Play Tour Championship in England for three-and-a-half months in 2011, runner-up of 40th National Snooker Championship; won bronze medal in Asian Team Event at Kish Island, Iran, in 2015, won bronze medal in IBSF Team Event at Karachi in 2015.

The four cueists will be accompanied by as many officials. They are Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) president Alamgir Shaikh (delegate), PBSF secretary Munawwar Hussain Shaikh (manager), Shabbir Hussain and Naveed Kapadia (referees).

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2015

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