- Pakistan rally after losing opening frame to Advani.
- Asif dominates Damani and Advani in singles rubbers.
- Qatar crushed 3-0 earlier to reach semi-finals.
KARACHI: Pakistan’s seasoned pairing of Muhammad Asif and Asjad Iqbal defeated India’s Pankaj Advani and Brijesh Damani 3-1 in the Team Snooker World Cup semi-final at the Active Oman Sports and Entertainment Hub in Muscat on Saturday.
The Pakistan side made a shaky start to the knockout clash as Advani swept past Asjad 85-21 in the opening frame to hand India a 1-0 advantage.
But reigning International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) world champion Asif sparked a strong response, thrashing Damani 120-23 in the second frame on the back of a superb 77-point break to level the contest.
With the scoreboard levelled at 1-1, the two teams then locked horns in a double frame, which Pakistan clinched comprehensively by 75-47 to secure the lead.
In the next frame, Asif continued his dominance and humbled Advani 73-9 to power Pakistan to an unassailable 3-1 lead and thus, the final frame, set to be contested between Asjad and Damani, was called off.
For the unversed, Pakistan had booked their spot in the semi-final earlier today by outclassing Qatar 3-0 in a one-sided quarter-final.
In the opening frame, Asjad registered a 92-point break to down Qatar’s Ali Alobaidli 92-43.
Asif then inflicted an equally crushing defeat on Ahmed Saif, clinching the second frame 83-0 on the back of a 62-point break to bolster Pakistan’s lead to 2-0.
The duo carried their respective momentum into the doubles frame and secured it by 79-26 to round up a perfect 3-0 victory.
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will face Hong Kong China 2 in the final.
