A professional Pakistani snooker player seen taking a shot during a tournament match in Karachi. - File Photo

LONDON The reputation of snooker as one of sport's more traditional games is set to be turned on its head by plans to introduce a radical new condensed format of the game.

Impressed by the success of Crickets Twenty20 World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker is anxious to lure new fans to the green beize.

Outlining his plans in Thursdays Guardian he said the new format would feature only six colours, with games intended to last an average of six or seven minutes.

The game has a working title of Super6s and is due to be trialled at this months World Championships in Sheffield with a legends versus rising stars tournament.

Walker told the newspaper 'As an observer of snooker you cannot churn out the same diet year after year. Look at what Twenty20 has done for cricket.'

'It has brought in a whole new audience so what we have in mind we think would be appealing to a younger audience.'

'The working party who looked into this thought that a six-ball tournament with matches that take an average of six to seven minutes to play, with maybe the best of five, best of 10 frames could work.'