KARACHI: After back-to-back dismal performance at the Asian and World 6-Reds and Team Championships abroad, the national cueists assemble in the city for the eighth National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Ranking Snooker Championship which cues off at the bank’s sports complex on Monday.

This is the third domestic event of the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) calendar.

The preceding two competitions have produced different champions and if one goes by results, a new player may win the event. Mohammad Bilal overcome Sohail Shehzad 7-5 in the final to win the 41st national snooker championship in February while Babar Masih whipped Asjad Iqba 6-5 to land the second ranking title.

Meanwhile, the PBSF has revised the draws by accommodating two Brussels-bound juniors Mohammad Saqib and Haris Tahir following delay in getting visa.

They were supposed to fly to Brussels on Aug 14 where the IBSF under-18 and under-21 snooker championships starts on Tuesday.

Hunain Amir, who was in the previous draw, has expressed his inability due to jaundice.

According to revised draw, 27 cueists will compete in the event.

Revised groups:

A: Babar Masih (Punjab), Shahid Aftab (Punjab), Zulfiqar A. Qadir (Sindh), Mohammad Majid Ali (Punjab), Mohammad Iftikhar Khan (Sindh), Abdul Raheem (Punjab).

B: Sohail Shehzad (Sindh), Mohammad Asif (Punjab), Mohammad Faheem (Punjab), Sharjeel Mehmood (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Abdul Sattar (Sindh), Rambel Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mohammad Saqib (Punjab).

C: Asjad Iqbal (Punjab), Mohammad Sajjad (Punjab), Abdul Jawed (Punjab), Mohammad Asif Toba (Punjab), Mohammad Ijaz (Punjab), Khurram Hussain Agha (Sindh), Muzammil Khan (Sindh).

D: Mohammad Bilal (Punjab), Abu Saim (Punjab), Shahram Changezi (Islamabad), Ian Mark John (Sindh), Mohammad Afzal (Punjab), Imran Shehzad (Punjab), Haris Tahir (Punjab).

Monday’s fixtures:

At 10am: Babar Masih v Abdul Raheem, Sohail Shehzad v Mohammad Saqib, Asjad Iqbal v Muzammil Khan, Mohammad Bilal v Haris Iftikhar.

At 12noon: Shahid Aftab v Mohammad Majdi Ali, Sharjeel Mehmood v Rambel Gul, Mohammad Asif Toba v Khurram Agha, Ian Mark John v Imran Shehzad.

At 2pm: Zulfiqar A Qadir v Mohammad Iftikhar Khan, Mohammad Faheem v Abdul Sattar, Abdul Jawed v Mohammad Ijaz, Shahram Changezi v Mohammad Afzal.

At 4pm: Mohammad v Sharjeel Mehmood, Mohammad Sajjad v Mohammad Asif Toba, Abu Saim v Ian Mark John, Rambel Gul v Mohammad Saqib, Khurram Agha v Muzammil Khan, Imran Shehzad v Haris Tahir.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2016