Newly-crowned Asian Snooker Champion, Saleh Muhammad Muhammadi of Afghanistan has been top seeded for the Asian Snooker 6-Red Championship which goes into action in Qatar from Friday. Saleh, formerly of Pakistan earlier this month won the Jubilee Insurance 29th Asian Snooker Championship held in Karachi by beating Omar Al-Kojah of Syria in the final.
Pakistan's Muhammad Sajjad, a 2010 Asian Snooker Championship finalist is seeded four while Pakistan's current World Champion Muhammad Asif is seeded sixth according to draws and seeding received from Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS). Amir Sarkosh of Iran is seeded two, Muhammad Al-Joaker of United Arab Emirates is seeded three, Lee Chun Wai of Hong Kong five, Passakorn Suwannawat of Thailand is seeded 7th and M. Rais Sanzai of Afghanistan is seeded number eight.
37 cuemen from all over the Asian continent are taking part in the event. Muhammad Sajjad is drawn in group "D" with Bashar Hussaain (Qatar), Laxman Singh Rawat (India), Mohammed Shehab (UAE) while Asif is placed in group "F" with Mohanna Obaidly (Qatar), Ali Jalil Ali (Iraq) and Muhammad Khaled Ali Qurani (Jordan). In the meantime, Pakistan is placed in tough group "A" of Asian Team Snooker Championship with Iran, Hong Kong and Kuwait in 16-nation competition.
Pakistan team including World Champion Muhammad Asif, former Asian number two Muhammad Sajjad, National Champion Hamza Akbar and Asian junior number two Muhammad Majid Ali left here Thursday to take part in the event being staged in Qatar from May 24 to 29.