Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal’s quest for the IBSF World Snooker Cup title concluded with a silver medal after he succumbed to a 5-2 defeat against England’s Harvey Chandler in the final held at the Oman Entertainment and Sports Hub on Wednesday.
The English cueist established dominance early, capitalising on a sloppy break from Asjad in the first frame to compile runs of 23 and 52, sealing it comfortably 83-0.
Asjad — who defeated Nicolas Mortreux of France 5-2 earlier in the semi-final — demonstrated resilience by striking back in the second frame.
After a cautious start, he ignited a fightback with a brilliant long pot, building a 37-point lead. A further break of 29 seemed to put him in command, but a missed easy red offered Chandler a lifeline.
The Englishman himself later missed a straightforward black, conceding the frame in frustration as Asjad levelled the match.
The contest’s momentum continued to swing. Chandler — who follows English club Manchester United — reclaimed the lead by taking a tightly contested third frame.
The match then tilted decisively in the Englishman’s favour in the fourth.
A poor break from Asjad — who won the bronze in last edition of the tournament — granted Chandler an opening and while the Pakistani reduced the deficit to two points, a miss on red proved costly.
Chandler pounced with a magnificent 67-clearance to go 3-1 ahead.
Asjad’s challenges compounded immediately after as he bizarrely conceded the fourth frame 16-8. Following two initial fouls and a fumbled chance, his frustration boiled over, leading him to displace the balls with his cue and concede.
Displaying composure, Asjad — hailing from Sargodha — regrouped to clinch the fifth frame 86-3, fuelled by a focused break of 54, narrowing Chandler’s lead to 3-2.
However, the Pakistani cueist could not sustain the comeback. The sixth frame evolved into a seesaw battle.
The 34-year-old Asjad crafted a 28-point break but again missed a critical shot into the corner pocket. Chandler seemed poised to secure the frame before a missed red offered a final twist.
Asjad potted the remaining reds, but a subsequent safety battle went Chandler’s way and he eventually closed the frame 59-37 to move one frame from the title.
In the seventh frame, another errant break from Asjad handed Chandler the initiative.
The Englishman built a substantial lead, and despite a brief 15-point response from Asjad, Chandler’s advantage grew to 55 points.
Needing snookers, Asjad conceded the frame and the match after a pumped up Chandler missed an inconsequential shot on red, handing the Englishman his maiden World Cup title.
