ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s veteran cueist Mohammad Asif clinched the 3rd SAARC Snooker Championship by defeating Sri Lanka’s Thaha Irshath on Friday.
He won the final with a commanding 5-0 score, without dropping a single frame throughout the match.
The game was played at the Moors Snooker Club in Colombo, where Asif displayed remarkable skill and cue control. He dominated the final, winning with frame scores of 99-3, 73-46, 85-38, 109-6, and 74-0.
Asif achieved three breaks of 50 or more in the best-of-9 final, including a top break of 67 in both the opening and closing frames, securing a dominant victory.
The SAARC Snooker Championship title marks Asif’s eighth career title, further solidifying his reputation as one of the region’s most successful amateur players.
“Winning this title is a moment of great pride for me and Pakistan,” Asif said after the match.
The champion has also received congratulations from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif as they praised Asif in separate messages for demonstrating his best game in the championship especially the final.
“Muhammad Asif brought laurels to Pakistan in the game of snooker. I pray for Muhammad Asif’s success in the future as well,” President Zardari said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also felicitated cueist Asif on winning the third SAARC snooker championship.
“Muhammad Asif won an important snooker championship and brought the country’s name to the limelight in the whole world. The whole nation is proud of you,” the PM said.
Asif’s victory in Colombo makes him the second Pakistani to win the SAARC Snooker Championship. The first edition of the tournament, held in 2019, was won by Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal.
This latest triumph further enhances the legacy of the 42-year-old from Faisalabad, who has already made his mark in amateur snooker. Asif is a three-time world champion, having won the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2012, 2019, and again in 2024.
