Snooker champion

At a time when all eyes were set on the ongoing cricket series at home against Australia, an unassuming 16-year-old youngster from Lahore has stolen the sporting limelight. On Friday night, Ahsan Ramzan became one of the youngest players in history to win the IBSF World Snooker Championship in Doha. Despite all his immense potential and talents, Ahsan was a long shot for the coveted title as Pakistan was looking towards its two-time world champion Mohammad Asif to regain the crown. However, Ahsan gave a performance way beyond his years when he tore through the draws of the championship to march into the semi-finals where he stunned his idol Asif and then toppled Iran's top seed Amir Sarkosh in a nerve-racking final 6-5 to win the world title. Pakistan have had a lot of success in the World Championship in the past as Mohammad Yousuf won it in South Africa 1994 and later Asif claimed it twice in Bulgaria and Turkey. But Ahsan's title-winning triumph in Qatar is unique because he is by far the youngest of the three Pakistani world champions. This means that he could become the first Pakistani to make his presence felt on the international professional snooker circuit, where the big boys of the game make their name and money. In the past, several Pakistani amateur players like Ahsan have tried their luck in the professional game but without much success.

Ahsan's story could be different. He is vastly-talented and hard-working and age is on his side. All he needs is full-fledged support both from the government and the private sector. By beating the best in the world, Ahsan has proved that he has a great future ahead of him. But he also realises that despite being a world champion he is unlikely to get the sort of fame and attention that is reserved for leading cricketers in Pakistan. Soon after winning the title, Ahsan asked his compatriots for due acknowledgment for his extraordinary feat. It is important for the nation to hear his plea. Snooker might not be cricket, but it is a popular spot in the world. Any reservations of hesitancy regarding it should be washed away now and players like Ahsan Ali treated like true world champions.