KARACHI Pakistan No 1 Mohammad Sajjad retained his top slot while three players took a big leap to finish among top eight in the latest national ranking released by the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) on Wednesday.

Sajjad, who captured his second national ranking title of the year after the NBP Cup on Sunday, has 29 points to his credit.

He is followed by his closest rivals — Mohammad Asif and Raees Khan, both from Punjab — who have 24 points apiece. The former who is also reigning national champion, has surged one step to claim second position pushing NBP Cup losing finalist Raees Khan to third.

They are followed by three Sindh players — Khurram Agha, Sultan Mohammad and Sohail Shehzad. Lying on their heels are Sharjeel Mehmood (NWFP) and Saqib Butt (Punjab).

The three cueists who have stolen the limelight in the just concluded ranking cup were Sultan Mohammad, Sohail Shehzad and Saqib Butt. They were at the 15th, 12th and 22nd positions in the previous list.

The top eight players will be entitled to earn honorarium from PBSA until the last ranking event of the year.

Top eight ranking and points

1-Mohammad Sajjad (Punjab) 29 pts; 2-Mohammad Asif (Punjab) 24 pts; 3-Raees Khan (Punjab) 24 pts; 4-Khurram Agha (Sindh) 22 pts; 5-Sultan Mohammad (Sindh) 19 pts; 6-Sohail Shehzad (Sindh) 19 pts; 7-Sharjeel Mehmood (NWFP) 19 pts; 8-Saqib Butt (Punjab) 17 pts