KARACHI: Veteran cueist and a former world amateur snooker champion, Mohammad Yousuf, on Friday paid rich tributes to his former colleague Saleh Mohammad for winning the coveted Asian title.

“He [Saleh] maintained his rhythm throughout the event, particularly in semi-final and final to win his maiden Asian crown,” Yousuf, who witnessed the final, told Dawn.

Both Yousuf and Saleh had represented Pakistan in numerous world and Asian championships before the latter migrated to Afghanistan in 1988. The two cueists have met after five years.

Describing performance of home cueists as lacklusture, he said all of them including Asif and Sajjad played far below their potential in crucial games.

The former may be under pressure but the latter’s exit in the quarters disappointed him.

“This is the first time in two decades that no Pakistani qualified for the last four of an annual Asian event,” recalled the 61-year-old cueist who had three major titles — World, Asian and Masters’ (40 plus) — under his belt.

He complimented Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) for staging a befitting 14-nation event at a time when foreign teams have isolated Pakistan and were not willing to visit citing security concern.