Pakistan's ace cueist Mohammad Sajjad has become a household name in Thailand. To beat a Thai cueist on his home soil is a Herculean task as snooker is a passion for youth there and the parlours are filled with players who want to emulate James Wattana's feat.
Sajjad, who made his debut on the national scene in 2008, has made quite a name for himself since then. He has been a regular visitor to Thailand for the last three years and has scaled new heights.
His recent success in the Korat Snooker Cup — a Thai ranking event — as a wildcard entrant has opened new avenues for him and Pakistan is now looking forward to fetching gold in the Guangzhou Asian Games later this year.
Sajjad's victim in the final was top Thai player Passakorn Suwannawat who went down 4-5 with scores of 83-7, 0-98, 86-7, 71-40, 0-96, 18-68, 69-41, 14-78, 64-31. Earlier, the Pakistani overcame reigning Thai No. 1 and a former world champion Noppadon Noppachorn 4-2 in the pre-final with scores reading 18-57, 65-21, 121-10, 105-9, 17-70, 74-8.
In the Sangsom 6-Red World Championship that preceded the Korat Cup, Sajjad, however, went down 1-6 to Englishman Dave Harold 1-6 in the last 32 round.
Last May, the Sargodha-born Sajjad surprised pundits of the game by making it to the final of the 26th Asian spectacle where he eventually lost the title battle 3-7 to Thailand's Issara Kachaiwong who recaptured the crown after 2006. In the semi-final, Sajjad thrashed Thai Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon 6-3.
During the last three years, Sajjad has pocketed two national titles in 2008 and 2010. However, he suffered a 2-6 loss at the hands of Mohammad Asif last year.
In addition to that, the Sargodha-born cueist had some memorable triumphs under his belt which includes 5-0 drubbing of John Higgins and 5-1 thrashing to Sascha Lippe in the 6-Red World Grand Prix in Thailand last year.
A progeny of Mohammad Bilal, Sajjad was among the top players who boycotted a national ranking event over better playing terms in Islamabad two years ago and was served a showcause by the game's controlling body, the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA).
After a gloomy period faced by Pakistan in snooker, the game now seems to be returning to its old ways courtesy Sajjad's feat. He needs proper coaching in order to polish his existing skills and to win more laurels.
The baize game which has been a medal winning sport for the country in the past is, unfortunately, not getting a fair deal from those who matter in the corridor of power.
In the absence of a regular sponsor, the cash-strapped PBSA is in dire straits and is struggling to meet the expenses of domestic and international commitments which require Rs8.7 million annually.
The government should set proper criteria for investing in the medal winning sport instead of wasting public exchequer on those who have no previous achievements to show. Remember, winning just one medal enhances the the country's image manifold.
