KARACHI: Iran’s cueists put on an impressive display to help their side win the five-day snooker series against Pakistan on Wednesday.
The bilateral series, played at Tehran’s Azadi Sports Complex, saw close contests on all five match days as balanced swayed between the two teams. Pakistan edged the hosts on the first and fourth day, while Iran dominated the remaining days’ matches.
The total points accumulated by Iran at the end of the series were 25 against Pakistan’s eight, handing the series win to the home side.
Led by Ehsan Hydarinehzad’s opening match demolition of Imran Shahzad, Iran scored 48 points on the fifth day, while Pakistan ended the final day on 42 despite winning five of the day’s nine matches.
Sajjad leads the way Former national champion Muhammad Sajjad was Pakistan’s top performer in the tournament with nine wins in his 15 matches. Pakistan number one Mohammad Shahid and national championship finalist Imran Shehzad, meanwhile, won five matches each.
The Asian number two led the Pakistani pack, using his international experience to guide the team during the course of the series.
His performance drew praise from team manager Shahzad Chaudhry, “Sajjad has been our best player and has managed to live up to his top billing by putting his international experience to good used.”
Iran impressive Chaudhry, meanwhile, praised the standard of the game in Iran, saying the team’s coach has helped the players improve their game a great deal.
“They have an English coach, P.J. Nolan, who works really hard with the players nad has made a lot of difference to their game,” Chaudhry told Dawn.com.
“In Iran, the equipment, snooker tables and other facilities are world-class, which is why it is easy for them to adjust when they participate in international tournaments.”
Chaudhry said the series will help Pakistan’s snooker players but in order to break into the world’s best snooker players they need greater exposure to the game at international level.
Second leg in Pakistan The second leg of the bilateral series will be scheduled for next year, according to Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association President Alamgir Shaikh.
The Pakistan team returned to Karachi on Wednesday, following the conclusion of the series.
