KARACHI: Pakistan’s cueist Mohammad Asif, who is going through a bad patch since crowning the world title in Sofia, Bulgaria, in December last, gets another opportunity to prove his mettle when the Asian 6 Red ball snooker championship gets into action at Doha from Friday.

A four-member Pakistan snooker team leaves for Doha on Thursday to feature in Asian 6 Red ball and Asian team championship which will run concurrently from May 24 to 30. The cueists have undergone a short training in the camp which concluded at Karachi Gymkhana on Wednesday.

Asif and Mohammad Sajjad will represent the country in 6 Red ball contests while Hamza Akbar and Mohammad Majid Ali feature in team championship.

According to draws released by the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF), Sajjad has been placed in group D while Asif is drawn in group F.

Afghanistan’s Saleh Mohammad who ended two-decade title jinx by capturing the Asian snooker crown in the city recently has been seeded on top and drawn in group A.

As many as 36 cueists from 16 nations who will vie for honours in the 6 Red ball event have been drawn in eight groups. Top two cueists from each group will qualify for knockout pre quarter-finals.

The 16 nations are Afghanistan, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Mangolia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, China, Pakistan, India, Hong Kong, Jordan and Thailand.

Meanwhile, Pakistan heads group A in the Asian team championship which includes Iran, Hong Kong and Kuwait.

Other nations includes China, Iraq, UAE, Mangolia, Thailand, Afghanistan, Jordan, India, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and Qatar A and B.