Unsung snooker hero Babar also needs PCB’s attention

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Cricket Board this year took an excellent initiative of honouring sportspersons and people from other walks of life under the ‘Hamaray Heroes’ campaign during the course of the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020.

Since the beginning of the T20 tournament on February 20, as many as 22 sportspersons and individuals who have made Pakistan proud have been invited and presented cash awards of $1500 each during the matches at the four venues.

‘Hamaray Heroes’ is a user-based campaign, launched before the start of the tournament, in which fans and followers have nominated the unsung heroes of the nation through the HBL PSL website.

While appreciating and fully supporting such a step taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board, many feel that besides the ones being nominated on the website the PCB should also look for persons who really can qualify for such an honour.

One such person is surely Babar Masih, who has represented Pakistan with distinction in the snooker world.

The 33-year-old Babar, who was born in Sialkot and now resides in Rawalpindi, has been a mainstay in Pakistan snooker teams which have won a number of laurels for the country in recent years.

Babar was a member of the gold medal winning team in the 1st Asian Billiards Sports Championships held in Al-Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates in 2016. He was again part of the Pakistan team that claimed the top position in the 2017 IBSF 6 Red & Team Snooker Championship played in Sahl Hasheesh, Egypt. He is also a gold medal winner of the 6th Asian Team & 7th 6 Red Snooker Championships in Doha (Qatar) in 2018 and the 7th Asian Team & 8th 6 Red Snooker Championships, also played in Doha. Besides the gold medals, Babar has also won two silver medals in the Asian Team & 6 Red Snooker Championships and a runner-up finish in the 1st IBSF World Team Cup in Doha in 2018. He has also collected four bronze medals in international team events.