Sajjad creates history chalking out maximum break of 147 in snooker championship

• The 35-year-old cueist is the first person to play a break of 147 in a national tournament in Pakistan. 
• It took Sajjad around 12 minutes to clear the frame by pocketing all 15 red-balls.
• It is a big day for me and I am very happy to achieve first 147 in the national tournament in Pakistan, Mohammad Sajjad says.

KARACHI: Pakistani cueist Mohammad Sajjad created history on Saturday when he chalked out the maximum break of 147 during the quarter final of National Snooker Championship against Zulfiqar Qadir in Karachi.

It took Sajjad around 12 minutes to clear the frame by pocketing all 15 red-balls, each red followed by a black-ball before all the colour balls.

The 35-year-old cueist is the first person to play a break of 147 in a National Tournament in Pakistan and the second Pakistani to do so in any tournament after Saleh Muhammad.

Saleh Muhammad — who now plays for Afghanistan internationally — had played a break of 147 in Dubai during the 2008 Asian Snooker Championship.

Sajjad, earlier, came close to winning the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2014 but lost to China’s Yan Bingato of China in the final of best of 15 frames. 

He won the Asian 6-Red championship in 2017. Sajjad was also a member of the victorious team from Pakistan that defeated India to win IBSF World Team Championship in 2013.

In the 2010 Asian Championship, Sajjad had come close to a 147 but missed an easy pink and then his break concluded at 134.

The top cueist told Geo News that he was under pressure when he was coming close to 147, especially while pocketing final colour balls, but kept his nerves under control.

“It was difficult placing from brown to blue and then blue to pink, but I kept my focus and managed it. Then the cue ball was placed at a comfortable position to pocket the black ball easily,” he said.

“I started to aim for 147 after I got the third red; the frame was opening and the balls were in position where I wanted them to be. It is a big day for me and I am very happy to achieve the first 147 in the national tournament in Pakistan,” Sajjad added.

However, despite the 147 break, Sajjad faced tough resistance from Zulfiqar Qadir in the quarter final. He ultimately won it 5-4 to cement his place in the semi final.

Defending champion Mohammad Asif was knocked out of the race for the title after being beaten by Ahsan Ramzan.

Babar Masih and Haris Tahir have also qualified for the final four.

Semi finals will be played later today. Pakistan’s first sports channel Geo Super will broadcast both the matches live.