After interior ministry's refusal to allow the hiring of India's Sanjay Sawant, PBSA is looking to hire a Thai coach.

ISLAMABAD The Pakistan Billiard and Snooker Association (PBSA) are likely to hire the services of a Thai coach for the two upcoming international assignments, Asian Games at Guangzhou and World snooker at Damascus.

“We have two or three Thailand coaches in mind but for that we need a Thai coach who can speak English as our players can only communicate in English with the Thai coach if hired,” PBSA President, Alamgir Sheikh told APP.

“We are in desperate need of a coach as there is not much time left for the Asian Games” Sheikh said.

Earlier the PBSA suffered a severe blow when the government refused to grant permission to an Indian coach, Sanjay Sawant, to train the cueists for the upcoming events.

“If we are unable to hire the foreign coach then we will look for the coach from Pakistan to train our players,” Sheikh said.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Yousuf, former world amateur snooker champion, has offered his services to take up coaching assignment of Pakistan team and swap his retirement from the game with coaching contract.

Yousuf, 58, the only player in the world to have won the World, Asian and World Masters titles, said he would be happy to take up the job in the larger interest of the country if approached.

“It will be an honour to serve the nation again,” he remarked.

The training of Pakistani cueists for the Asian Games and World Cup will begin at Islamabad from Oct 15. —APP

Opinion

Editorial

Limiting the damage
Updated 07 Mar, 2026

Limiting the damage

WITH looming energy shortages due to the US-Israel war on Iran, the government has revived a range of Covid-era...
Diplomatic option
07 Mar, 2026

Diplomatic option

WITH Operation Ghazab lil Haq underway for over a week now, Pakistan has demonstrated that it can take firm action...
Polio, again
07 Mar, 2026

Polio, again

ANOTHER child has fallen victim to polio, this time in Sindh. The National Institute of Health this week confirmed...
On unstable ground
Updated 06 Mar, 2026

On unstable ground

PAKISTAN’S economic managers repeatedly tout improvements in macroeconomic indicators, including rising foreign...
Divide et impera
06 Mar, 2026

Divide et impera

AS if the high loss of life in Iran, regional escalation and economic turbulence caused by the US-Israeli aggression...
New approach needed
06 Mar, 2026

New approach needed

WITH one World Cup campaign ending in despair, Pakistan began to plan for the start of the cycle of another by...