All-Pakistan NBP Snooker from 28th

KARACHI: National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), much to the relief of the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA), has vowed to extend its support to snooker despite the uncertainties caused by the shrinking role of the departments in sports promotion in the recent past.

The details about the upcoming seven-day All-Pakistan NBP Snooker Championship, to be staged at the NBP Sports Complex in Clifton, from July 28 to August 3, were shared by Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, Co-Chairman, Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA), in a media briefing here at the Karachi Gymkhana on Thursday.

He was handed over the sponsorship cheque by Syed Khurram Hussain, Divisional Head, NBP, upon the completion of media briefing. The bank’s head of sports, Iqbal Qasim, was also present on the occasion.

A total of 40 cueists had appeared in the previous edition of the NBP Ranking event, clinched by Muhammad Ijaz, the PBSA has opted for 33 participants this time. The contestants are the top 32 cueists of the country with Hamza Ilyas being awarded wild card entry.

As far as the format of the event is concerned, the contestants have been divided in eight groups for the preliminary rounds whose matches will be spread over four days.

The champions and the runners-up of each group will qualify for the knockout rounds, starting with the pre-quarter-finals.

The league matches will be best-of-seven-frame contests. The quarter-finals will be of best-of-nine-frame matches; the semi-finals best-of-11-frame; and the final best-of-15-frame.

As in the past, the semi-finals and the final will be telecast live on Geo Super, the premier sports television channel of the country.

The PBSA has also announced that the top two ranked cueists of the country, at the end of the NBP Championship, will be entitled to represent the country in this year’s World Snooker Championship, scheduled to be staged in Turkey in October-November.