Indo-Pak snooker series likely in May

KARACHI: The bilateral snooker Test series between Pakistan and India is likely to be revived this year.

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), informed ‘The News’ here on Tuesday that efforts will be made to organise an Indo-Pak snooker Test series during May.

“We have the blessings of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the sponsorship support of Jubilee Insurance for the proposed series which will be beneficial for the cueists of both the countries,” he revealed.

“The Indian cueists have been coming over to Pakistan regularly for the past many years and we don’t foresee problems in having them here once more. Therefore, the chances of holding the event are quite bright,” the PBSA President said.

“Although we have a heavily crowded calendar this year with a variety of international and continental cue sports events, we are looking into the possibilities of hosting the Test series against India in May when we will be having no other commitments,” Alamgir added.

“Another factor prompting us to hold the Test series against India is the non-presence of any international snooker tournament in Pakistan during the current year. The bilateral snooker contests between Pakistan and India have always been absorbing and thrilling. We are confident that another Test series will be generating even greater interest in both the countries,” he said.

The PBSA President looked forward to formally discussing the idea of reviving the Indo-Pak Test series with his counterpart at the Billiards & Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) in the very near future.

It may be recalled that the first-ever snooker Test series between Pakistan and India was played for the Peace Cup at Karachi in 2003.