Unlike other sports, including cricket and national sport hockey, snooker emerged as a sigh of relief for Pakistan in 2024 as the nation witnessed a season, filled with many ground-breaking achievements and historic triumphs, including Mohammad Asif’s world-title victory.
The year 2024 marks another promising year for Pakistan as national cueists like Asif, Awais Munir, Mohammad Hasnain, Asjad Iqbal and Ahsan Ramzan showcased their brilliance in different tournaments, held over the year.
Asif conquers the world
Pakistan’s veteran cueist Asif was the heart and soul of Pakistan’s achievements in the sport in the outgoing year as the 42-year-old clinched the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2024 title in Doha in November.
Asif, who entered the championship as a qualifier after getting a wild card nomination to the event through Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSA), made the most of the opportunity with his stellar performances in both the main and knockout stages.
He came up against Iran’s Ali Gharahgozlou in the final and had to make hard yards to clinch a narrow 4-3 victory.
Asif got off to a flying start to the high-stakes clash as he raced to a 4-1 lead but Gharahgozlou retaliated by winning the next two frames.
The national cueist, however, displayed nerves of steel and remained composed amid Gharahgozlou’s comeback and eventually won the match-defining frame to seal a thrilling victory.
This marks Asif’s third individual world title, following his championships in 2012 and 2019, equaling India’s Pankaj Advani’s record of three individual world titles. Including his two team titles, Asif now holds five world titles, establishing himself as Pakistan’s most decorated cueist.
Awais crowned 6-Red Snooker Champion
Pakistan’s second-biggest achievement came in July when Awais Munir lifted the Asian 6-Red Snooker Championship, courtesy of his remarkable precision throughout the event.
Awais locked horns with Hong Kong's Nansen Wan in the final and clinched a rather comfortable victory in the all-important clash by the scoreline of 6-3.
The final match was hanging in balance at 2-2 after the first four frames until in-form Awais won three consecutive frames to move one within the victory.
Nansen, though, offered some fightback by winning the next two frames but Awais halted his comeback by winning the title-clinching frame, which established him as one of the nation’s top cueists.
Asjad, Awais narrowly miss Asian Team Snooker Championship
In-form Awais then participated in ACBS Asian 15 Red Men’s Team Snooker Championship 2024, teamed up with compatriot Asjad, and delivered not all but equally impressive performance as the duo marched all the way to the final.
Asjad and Awais got off to a flamboyant start to the 18-team tournament as they downed Saudi Arabia 3-0 and Myanmar 3-0 on the opening day to make it to the quarter-finals.
The pair continued its form in the quarter-final against India’s Sarav Kothari and Hussain Khan and registered a 3-0 clean sweep to reach the final four.
Asjad and Awais had to make hard yards in the semi-final against Hong Kong as the former was defeated 47-72 in the first singles match. But in-form remained unfazed by the unwanted start and won his singles match to level the score at 1-1.
In the doubles frame, Pakistan played a 99-clearance break to secure victory. Iqbal defeated Nansen Wan 28-82 in his second singles match and bagged a win.
The duo, however, had an agonizing end to their sensational campaign as they suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the final against Thailand and settled for a silver medal.
Another silver for Asjad
After the Asian Team Snooker Championship heartbreak, Asjad participated in the IBSF World 6-Red Snooker Championship 2024, where he had to settle for a silver medal again.
The national cueist, who earned a direct qualification for the pre-quarterfinal, soon booked his spot in the last eight by registering a hard-fought 5-3 victory over Mongolia’s Lkhagvasuren Tumurchudur.
But it was his performance in the quarter-final that turned heads as he stunned defending champion Michael Georgiou of Cyprus 5-2 and continued his march.
Asjad had saved his best for the semi-final as he outfoxed India’s Malkeet Singh 6-0 to qualify for the showpiece clash.
He was up against another Indian counterpart, Kamal Chawla, in the final but this time the outcome did not turn out in his favour as he succumbed to a 6-2 defeat.
Asjad started the match on a high as he won the first two frames to secure a narrow but early lead in the final.
But, Chawla remained unfazed by his flamboyant start and won six frames on the trot to clinch the title.
Hasnain clinches Asian U21 Snooker Championship
Earlier in the year, Pakistan’s rising star Mohammad Hasnain brought delight to the nation by winning the Asian U21 Snooker Championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The amateur event came down to the All-Pakistan final as Hasnain was up against defending champion and compatriot Ahsan Ramzan.
The two national cueists, who remained unbeaten throughout the continental event, went hard at each other in the seesaw contest but it was Hasnain, who held his nerves calm and eventually emerged victorious 4-3.
Earlier, in the semi-final, Hasnain defeated Hong Kong’s Shaun Liu 4-1, while Ahsan triumphed over Tirdad Azadipour of Iran with a similar scoreline.
A better future awaits?
The aforementioned triumphs and achievements of the national cueists undoubtedly highlight Pakistan’s potential in the sport and if given adequate attention and support, these players may go on to bring more laurels to the country in future.
Pakistan’s progress in the sport also shatters the stereotype of being a one-sport nation, proving there’s life beyond cricket, a major role for which had already been played by ace Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, who made history by winning the gold medal at this year’s Paris Olympics.
Syed Ahsan Ali Jaffri is a staffer at Geo Super
- Mohammad Asif
