Asif, Mubashir set up NBP Snooker title clash

KARACHI: Seventh seed Muhammad Asif and unseeded Mubashir Raza booked a date in the final after outwitting their respective opponents in the semifinals of the 11th edition of NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2019, here at the NBP Sports Complex on Friday.

The best of 15-frame final between Asif and Mubashir is due to commence at 10 am on Saturday (today). It will be followed, at 4.30 pm, by the prize distribution ceremony in which Arif Usmani, President, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), will be the chief guest. Both the events will be telecast live on Geo Super, the premier sports television channel of country.

Both the best of 11-frame semifinals, contested simultaneously, turned out to be absorbing ones and result was in doubt until the very end. Quite remarkably both the matches finished within a minute of each other, having lasted close to four hours.

It featured two seasoned campaigners, Asif and M Sajjad, who carried wealth of international experience too besides being former national champions more than once while the youthful duo of Mubashir and M Ahsan Javaid was playing first-ever semifinals of any national ranking tournament.

The two semifinals produced different results. In one of them, youth prevailed over experience as Asif, a former world champion, brought all his skills and expertise into play to edge out Ahsan 6-5 with the frame scores of 63-44, 87-1, 47-60, 0-94, 1-99, 70-26, 41-74, 71-35, 56-65, 56-47, 71-28 while in the other one, the supremely confident Mubashir overcame the vastly experienced Sajjad 6-4 with the frame scores of 55-39, 1-64, 63-49, 23-65, 73-61, 97-34, 4-129, 14-55, 71-32, 69-28.

The 37-year old Asif, hailing from the industrial city of Faisalabad, got off to a business like start as he pocketed the first couple of frames. His sizzling break of 87 in the second frame reflected the class of a player in full flow. Ahsan, 10 years junior to the master craftsman, showed his growing maturity by snatching the next three frames on a trot. The break of 67 registered by the Sialkot youngster in the fifth frame allowed him to move into 3-2 lead. Asif restored parity by winning the sixth frame but Ahsan went into the lead for the second time by taking the seventh frame. The former world champion drew level by getting the eighth frame but could not prevent his opponent from going 5-4 up after the ninth frame.

Ahsan was just a frame away from making his maiden entry into the final of a national ranking tournament. The momentum was with him and the chances of him doing it looked bright.

Tense and close battle ensued in the 10th frame which Asif managed to win to stay alive in the contest. And he made the most of this lifeline by firing a break of 71 in the decisive 11th frame to progress to the final.

Although the other semifinal, between Mubashir and Sajjad, didn’t go to the full distance of 11 frames it also had as much drama and tension as the other one. Youth prevailed over experience after a dramatic encounter.

The 25-year old Mubashir, belonging to Lahore, made his intentions very clear by winning the opening frame. Sajjad, now 33, bounced back to win the next but lost the third one.

Belonging to the city of Sargodha, Sajjad restored parity again by grabbing the fourth frame. Mubashir managed to turn the tide in his favour in the closely fought fifth frame and he wasted no time in doubling the lead with a break of 60 in the sixth frame.

Sajjad was equal to the task, chalking up a majestic break of 105 in the very next frame and then sustaining the momentum to claim the eight frame as well to make it four all.At this point it looked anybody’s game and although the young Mubashir was playing superbly, there were many spectators who believed that Sajjad, a former world number two, was more likely to press home the advantage on the basis of his experience and temperament.

But it was not to be. Mubashir didn’t pass the impression of feeling overawed by the big reputation of his opponent and he continued playing well even in the final moments when tension was at his peak. He inched ahead by winning the ninth frame and sealed the fate of the match by also taking the next frame.