The country had much to be proud of this August, when young cueist Mohammad Sajjad impressed the world of snooker with his fine talent in Thailand while ending Pakistan’s four-year title drought at the international level.

The 25-year-old from Sargodha is not new to snooker. “I’ve been playing since the age of 10,” he says, “But it was only a couple of years ago, in 2008, that I first got selected to feature in the national championship played in Karachi,” he adds.

The leap Sajjad took from that level is phenomenal. He became national champion, besides being the runner-up at this year’s Asian Championship. Recognised as Asia’s number two, he won a wildcard entry to the Korat Snooker Cup, where he landed his first major win in the form of the international title on August 7.

Sajjad attributes his win to his hard work over the years and the luck brought to him by his newborn son Mohammad Kashan Ali and his wife.

“My wife doesn’t understand the game very much but my luck seems to have changed since she came into my life a year ago,” he says. “This has been a lucky year as I was able to improve my Asian ranking, won a major championship and we were blessed with a son.”

Although he lost in the second round of the Sangsom 6-Red World Championship also played in Thailand before the Korat Cup, Sajjad kept his spirits up in the latter event where he had the opportunity to practice alongside world number nine Mark Selby of England.

“Practicing before the matches at the tables gives one a chance to watch other people play. That’s also the time to show that you mean business by showing off your skills to them,” he says, suppressing a giggle.

“I guess I made a good impression on the other participants there, who after seeing me practice realised that Pakistan was not to be underestimated,” he adds.

And their fears were justified when he reached the final after beating a former world number one and the current top player of Thailand Nappadon Noppachorn 4-2 to beat another Thai cueist Passakorn Suwannawat 5-4 in the final to bag the championship. The win also makes him the second Asian wildcard entrant ever to enter a Thai ranking event after Malaysia’s Moh Keen Ho, who performed the feat back in 2005.

Asked if there was any money in snooker, Sajjad, who represents the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in domestic tournaments laughs, “Well, not for amateurs. But,” he adds, “For international professional players, it is very rewarding monetarily. I am not there yet but will be someday.”

His favourite cueists are Afghanistan’s Saleh Mohammad, who played for Pakistan, and Stephen Hendry of England. Although he knows Saleh Mohammad quite well, he hopes to meet Stephen, too, one day.

About how much practice is required to remain in form, he says, “Snooker is a game of skill, and practice makes perfect! One needs to practice at least eight hours although 10 to 12 hours practice is quite normal.”

Sajjad also neglected his studies due to his passion for the game. “There was just no time to study when I would be practicing for hours at the table. I could only study up to class five, unfortunately, which my parents were not happy about as they would worry about my future,” he says.

Asked what they thought of him now, Sajjad beams and exclaims, “They say well-done!”