Asghar Valika advocates for raise in snooker rewards

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The man chiefly responsible for taking snooker to its present day status in Pakistan, Ali Asghar Valika, has advocated for raise in the rewards for the high achievers of cue sports.

The Chairman of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Asghar Valika, has not minced words in stating that a modest sum of Rupees five thousand was too meager for the highest break of a national ranking event involving the participation of the top cueists of the country. 

He was referring to the recently concluded Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 in which all Muhammad Majid Ali received was a paltry amount of Rs five thousand for his efforts of chalking up the highest break of the one-week event. 

“In my opinion the highest break award of a national ranking tournament should not be less than Rs 20,000 in the current scenario,” he reckoned. Asghar Valika also advised the Executive Committee of the PBSA to consider raising the prize money and other incentives for the cueists starting from the coming year (2019).

“I will propose the PBSA to submit new proposals to the sponsors whereby the amount of prize money may be segregated. We must realize that with the rising inflation we need to keep increasing the rewards for our cueists in order to boost their spirits,” he added. 

Having headed the PBSA with distinction for a couple of decades, Asghar Valika also expected the present government to be more sports friendly as it’s being headed by a former Pakistan cricket captain, Imran Khan. 

“The government support is essential for sports like snooker which has been bringing laurels for the country from time to time. Further there should be a consistency in the policy towards the reimbursement of award money and the deserving athletes, earning glories, should not be made to run from pillar to post to receive them,” he observed. 

“The Prime Minister, being a sportsman himself, will be advised to announce a clear-cut policy for the rewards for winning the various medals and the concerned Ministry may be directed to comply it in letter and spirit,” the PBSA Chairman concluded.

readmore »»

Asif, Babar to represent Pakistan in IBSF World Snooker Championship 2018

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The duo of Babar Masih and Muhammad Asif, by virtue of being the top two cueists of the country in the latest national ranking chart, will be representing Pakistan in the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2018 due to be staged at Yangon, Myanmar, from November 18 to 26. 

The confirmation was made by Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), during his speech in the prize distribution ceremony of the Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 at the Karachi Gymkhana on September 17. 

Babar, who also became the top ranked cueist of Pakistan, by winning the Jubilee event, will be making his second appearance in the World Snooker Championship while Asif, only the second Pakistani to have annexed the world crown, gets yet another opportunity to have a crack at the showpiece event. 

It may be recalled that together Babar and Asif had won Pakistan the IBSF World Team Championship 2017 at Hurghada, Egypt, last year. Playing as Pakistan-2, they had overcome compatriots Pakistan-1, comprising of Asjad Iqbal and Muhammad Sajjad, in the epic all-Pakistan final. 

Babar and Asif have been the most prolific cueists on Pakistan during the current year in a period where the likes of Sajjad, Asjad and Muhammad Bilal have endured lean patch.

readmore »»

Unbeaten Babar Masih regains Jubilee Ranking snooker title

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Second seed Babar Masih regained the title by toppling unseeded Asif Toba in the all-Punjab final of the Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 at the Karachi Gymkhana on September 17. The Rawalpindi-based Babar overpowered Asif, coming from the city of Toba Tek Singh, 8-5 in the best of 15-frame final with the scores being 44-82, 51-69, 63-48, 114-16, 102-19, 65-20, 9-98, 16-60, 111-8, 26-88, 107-27, 62-35, 52-7.

Babar extended his awesome form to regain the title he had first annexed in 2016. He remained undefeated in the week-long event, contested by 24 top cueists of the country. He notched up a couple of century breaks and missed one narrowly in the final which demonstrated him being on top of his game. 

It was Toba, however, who drew the first blood in the final. In fact he managed to double his lead with an impressive break of 63 in the second frame. 

Unperturbed at being 0-2 down, Babar entered the third frame in the typically calm manner of his and won it after a close fight. He bamboozled his opponent with a sizzling break of 100 in the fourth frame which restored parity in the game. 

Another cracking break of 91 in the very next frame saw him go 3-2 up. Toba was unable to come to terms with the rampaging Babar in the sixth frame either but delivered the goods in the next couple of frame to reduce the deficit to just frame. 

Once again Babar retaliated with a big break of 111 which put him back to two-frame lead. Toba refused to give up, chalking up a fluent break of 73 to keep the contest alive. But Babar was not frightened and he didn’t let his rival come close again. Starting with a break of 86 in the 11th frame, he also pocketed the next two frames to seal the fate of the match.

The mercurial Babar, who looked a picture of confidence all along, had emerged triumphant in all those matches of his which went to full distance. He wasn’t stretched that much in the final though. 

Earlier Babar had staged a magnificent comeback to overcome holder Muhammad Asif 6-5 in the all-Punjab semifinal with the frame scores of 55-14, 27-73, 57-61, 8-75, 1-70, 24-76, 59-47, 65-45, 88-31, 80-14, 74-1 while Toba, from Punjab, knocked over Sharjeel of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 43-57, 61-54, 87-13, 28-90, 26-60, 46-66, 80-0, 57-14, 77-49. 

Babar became richer by Rs one lac as he collected the winner’s trophy alongwith the six-digit purse from Tahir Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee General Insurance, who was the chief guest in the prize distribution ceremony which was also telecast live.

Runner-up Toba received a sum of Rs forty thousand with the runner-up trophy while the losing semifinalists, Muhammad Asif and Sharjeel Mahmood, got Rs 20,000 each and Muhammad Majid Ali was awarded a cash prize of Rs 5,000 for registering the highest break (118) of the championship. 

Tahir Ahmed, representing the sponsors, expressed the delight at the rising standard of snooker in the country and he hoped that greater efforts will be made in future to attract the teenagers as well as the women to cue sports. 

The top officials of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Munawwar Hussain and Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, and the President of Karachi Gymkhana, Akbar Iqbal Puri, also spoke on the occasion.

readmore »»

Asghar Valika desires Asif to perform well in Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Chairman of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Ali Asghar Valika, has desired title winning performance from ace cueist in the ongoing Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 to let him have another go in the IBSF World Snooker 2018 to be held in Myanmar later this year. 

With the PBSA having decided to send the top two cueists in the national ranking chart, to be issued after this event, in the World Championship, Asghar Vailka felt that it was in Pakistan’s interest to have Asif in the team. 

“Asif is currently the top ranked cueist of the country as well as the defending champion in the ongoing tourney at the Karachi Gymkhana. Although he may still make it to the World Championship by securing a place in the semifinals, it would be an icing on the cake if he retains the title. That's why I wish him all the best in this particular national tournament” the PBSA Chairman stated.

“Asif, who is only 36, stands a very good chance of capturing the world title for the second time. He had done it in style in 2012 and there’s no reason why he can’t do it again. He seems to be in possession of all the ingredients of becoming the world champion once more,” Asghar Valika, who headed the PBSA with distinction for a couple of decades, reckoned. 

“During the last six years he has had his share of ups and downs but as they say form is temporary and class is permanent. He has come close to winning the World Championship a second time in the past as well but he has looked in the form of his life which makes me believe that he could do it this time,” he added. 

“It’s indeed a blessing to have a crop of youngsters seriously challenging Asif in the national tournaments but personally I feel that he among all our present day cueists he stands the best chance of bringing home the world crown,” the PBSA Chairman concluded.

readmore »»

Arif Abbasi better choice than Ehsan Mani to head PCB

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The challenges to Imran Khan, the Prime Minister, are far too many. As he has been saying it repeatedly and publicly, he’s fast becoming sick of the problems coming to his knowledge during the presentations he has been taking from the various Ministries and departments after assuming office.

The one area where Prime Minister Imran Khan is most likely to deliver is cricket, the game which earned him fame and fortune. 

Arguably the greatest and the most gifted cricketer ever to have played for Pakistan, his passion for cricket is known to everyone. 

Najam Sethi, instead of going to courts, chose to resign as Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as Imran Khan prepared to take oath as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. 

All eyes were then on the Prime Minister himself as he was to decide the successor to the outgoing PCB chief. Imran Khan, after being sworn in as the Prime Minister, also got the constitutional right to nominate the Chairman of the PCB.

He opted for Ehsan Mani, who has also been a former President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) besides having represented the country in the game’s governing body for a number of years. 

Ehsan Mani can be considered as a good choice but given the current situation it would have been advisable to have gone for Arif Ali Khan Abbasi instead, if the idea was to recover the lost ground and conquer new frontiers. 

Arif Abbasi looked the most suitable person to lead the revival of Pakistan cricket in the current scenario when a lot of additional qualities are required besides mere experience of handling the affairs of the game. 

Having proven track record and possessing the contacts in the concerned international circles, Arif Abbasi would have stood a better chance of restoring the image of Pakistan cricket, which was severely dented during the last one decade in particular. 

Interestingly it was Arif Abbasi who had played the pivotal role in having Imran Khan installed as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team in 1982. It was a bold move which made immediate dividends.

Imran Khan was handed over the captaincy when many of the senior members of the team had revolted against Javed Miandad. 

The Pakistan cricket was facing a crisis those days but it went to the credit of Arif Abbasi, the then Honorary Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP), to have converted the problem into an opportunity and the rest is history. 

Something of that sort is the need of the hour once more. The Pakistan cricket needed a go-getter like Arif Abbasi to turn it around at this time. 

Imran Khan should have opted for Arif Abbasi, instead of Ehsan Mani, if he desired implementing his own ambitious plans of overhauling the cricket system in the country. 

The Prime Minister may still involve Arif Abbasi in some capacity but when and how it remains to be seen. It will be in Pakistan cricket’s interest to have been in the leadership role somewhere.

readmore »»

Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship 2018 underway

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The third edition of the Jubilee Insurance Ranking Snooker Championship 2018, featuring the 24 top cueists of the country, has got underway at the Karachi Gymkhana on September 11.

The media launch of the one-week event was held at the Gymkhana’s Banquet Hall on September 10 in which the salient features were shared by Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), and Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, Co-Chairman, PBSA. 

The PBSA top functionaries acknowledged the support of the sponsors and the hosts, besides the electronic and print media for having brought cue sports to such high levels. 

They announced that the top two cueists of the country in the national ranking chart, to be issued after this event, will represent the country in the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2018 scheduled to be staged in Myanmar later this year.

Like the last few years, the PBSA has decided to retain 12 cueists for the next year’s National Championship whereas the remaining slots will be filled on the basis of the performances in the upcoming provincial cup tournaments. 

Tahir Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee General Insurance, reckoned that snooker has now become the most popular sport in the country, after cricket. 

He described the PBSA as the best performing national sports body on the basis of its performance over the past couple of decades. 

Akbar Iqbal Puri, President, Karachi Gymkhana, recalled that the club has been the hub of snooker activities in Pakistan since 1987 when his father, Mazhar Iqbal Puri, had revived the cue sports by laying the foundation of the PBSA of which he was the first President.

Meanwhile the 24 participants have been divided equally in four groups for the preliminary rounds which will continue for four days. 

Top seeded and defending champion Muhammad Asif (Punjab) has been placed in the Group A in the company of eighth seed Asjad Iqbal (Punjab), Sohail Shahzad (Sindh), Asif Toba (Punjab), Agha Bilawal (Sindh) and Sirbuland Khan (KPK). Second seed 

Babar Masih (Punjab) and seventh seed Aakash Rafique (KPK) feature in the Group B alongwith Khurram Hussain Agha (Sindh), Sharjeel Mahmood (KPK), Muhammad Naseem Akhtar (Punjab) and Muhammad Shahbaz (Punjab).

The Group C comprises of third seed Muhammad Majid Ali (Punjab), sixth seed Zulfiqar Abdul Qadir (Sindh), Rambail Gul (KPK), Muhammad Ahsan Javaid (Punjab), Abdul Sattar (Sindh) and Umair Alam (Sindh) while the Group D contains fourth seed Muhammad Bilal (Punjab), fifth seed Muhammad Ijaz (Punjab), Sultan Muhammad (Sindh), Shahid Aftab (Punjab), Haris Tahir (Punjab) and Ali Haider (Punjab). 

At the end of the league matches, the top two cueists from each of the four groups will be advancing to the knockout phase of the competition starting with the quarter-finals on September 15. 

Both the semifinals will be taking place on September 16 with the final and the prize distribution to be organized on September 17. The semifinals as well as the final will be beamed live on Geo Super.

readmore »»