KARACHI: After the emergence of Mohammad Ijaz on the national horizon as National Bank Cup champion last month, the Jubilee Insurance third ranking snooker championship of the year which cues off at Karachi Gymkhana on Tuesday, promises to be an open affair for the old stalwarts and the promising juniors.

Mohammad Sajjad’s sibling Ijaz shot into prominence with a resounding comeback from 2-6 down to whip third seed Babar Masih 8-6 in the best-of-15 frames-NBP Cup final to end the title jinx.

The triumph helped him surged to fifth spot in the national ranking from previous 22nd. If he repeats the same form he is certain to don national colour for the IBSF world championship to be held in Myanmar in November.

The week-long spectacle features top 24 cueists including three juniors who have made their mark alongside the seniors. The juniors include Naseem Akhtar, Mohammad Shahbaz and Haris Tahir.

The details of the event were announced by the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) at a press briefing held at Karachi Gymkhana on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion the PBSF president Munawwar Hussain Shaikh said it’s a good omen that Karachi Gymkhana has given their Billiards Hall free of cost besides sparing four tables in addition to the venue for the semi-finals and the final and sponsoring the media press briefing.

He thanked KG president Akbar Puri for his gesture to revive relationship with the PBSF.

He also expressed his gratitude to the NJI for their continuous support as a major sponsor of the game for well over a decade.

He said a four-member Pakistan team will fly to Doha on Sept 18 to compete in the sixth Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) team and seventh 6-Red snooker championships being held from Sept 19 to 25.

The team comprised Mohammad Asif, Babar Masih, Mohammad Majid Ali and Mohammad Bilal.

He disclosed that the ACBS has selected two Pakistan cueists Haris Tahir and Mohammad Bilal for the three-leg Asian Tour — Qatar, India and China — being played in Sept-Oct.

If any Pakistani cueist reaches the final of the coming Asian 6-Reds and Team event, he will also qualify for the Asian Tour, he added.

Managing director of NJI Tahir Ahmed, KG president Akbar Puri and former PBSF chief Alamgir Sheikh also spoke on the occasion.

Groups:

A: Mohammad Asif (Punjab), Asjad Iqbal (Punjab), Sohail Shehzad (Sindh), Mohammad Asif Toba (Punjab), Agha Bilawal (Sindh), Sirbuland Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).

B: Babar Masih (Punjab), Aakash Rafique (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Khurram H. Agha (Sindh), Sharjeel Mehmood (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Naseem Akhtar (Punjab), Mohammad Shahbaz (Pumjab).

C: Mohammad Majid Ali (Punjab), Zulfiqar A. Qadir (Sindh), Rambel Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ahsan Javaid (Punjab), Abdul Sattar (Sindh), Umair Alam (Sindh).

D: Mohammad Bilal (Punjab), Mohammad Ijaz (Punjab), Sultan Mohammad (Sindh), Shahid Aftab (Punjab), Haris Tahir (Punjab), Ali Haider (Punjab).

Tuesday’s fixtures:

At 10am: Mohammad Asif (Punjab) v Sirbuland Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); Babar Masih (Punjab) v Mohammad Shahbaz (Pumjab); Mohammad Majid Ali (Punjab) v Umair Alam (Sindh); Mohammad Bilal (Punjab) v Ali Haider (Punjab).

At 12noon: Asjad Iqbal (Punjab) v Agha Bilawal (Sindh); Aakash Rafique (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) v Naseem Akhtar (Punjab); Zulfiqar A. Qadir (Sindh) v Abdul Sattar (Sindh); Mohammad Ijaz (Punjab) v Haris Tahir (Punjab).

At 2pm: Sohail Shehzad (Sindh) v Mohammad Asif Toba (Punjab); Khurram H. Agha (Sindh) v Sharjeel Mehmood (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); Rambel Gul (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) v Ahsan Javaid (Punjab); Sultan Mohammad (Sindh) v Shahid Aftab (Punjab).

At 4pm: Mohammad Asif (Punjab) v Agha Bilawal (Sindh); Babar Masih (Punjab) v Naseem Akhtar (Punjab); Mohammad Majid Ali (Punjab) v Abdul Sattar (Sindh); Mohammad Bilal (Punjab) v Haris Tahir (Punjab).

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2018