Pakistan’s snooker stars continued to impress at the ongoing Asian 6-Red and Team Snooker Championship, with all three national cueists advancing to the pre-quarterfinals after strong performances in the group stage.
Awaisullah Munir, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Sajjad are leading the country in Sri Lanka.
The biggest highlight came from defending champion Awaisullah, who finished unbeaten in his group despite facing a stiff challenge in his final group match against India’s Pushpender Singh. But the Pakistani cueist showed composure under pressure to seal a 4-2 victory. Singh had made an early statement by taking the first frame but Awaisullah hit back. Though Singh levelled the match at 2-2, Awaisullah stayed focused to win the last two frames and top his group.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Asif, the most experienced of the trio with multiple international titles to his name, had a mixed day but still did enough to qualify. He cruised past Oman’s Abdullah Al Raisi 4-0 in his opening match, but his second match was a nail-biter against Sri Lanka’s Irshath Thaha. Despite a strong start, Asif lost momentum and eventually fell short 4-3 in a match that saw both players trade frame-winning breaks. Asif’s earlier wins, however, secured his spot in the knockout stages.
Completing Pakistan’s perfect qualification run was Mohammad Sajjad, who dominated his match against Sri Lanka’s Badurdeen Musarra with a clean 4-0 victory. Sajjad was in control from the first frame, barely giving his opponent any room. He struck a notable 58 break in the third frame and wrapped up the match with ease.
The results mean Pakistan will have all three players in the last 16, a promising sign for the country’s campaign in the Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship, which takes place until June 28.