Saleh Mohammad (snooker player)

Saleh Mohammad Saleh (born 24 February 1973[5]) is a former professional snooker player from Afghanistan.[6] He represented Pakistan between 1988 and 2006.[7] He reached the final of the IBSF World Snooker Championship in 2003 and won two medals at 2002 Asian Games.

Saleh Mohammad
Born (1973-02-24) 24 February 1973 (age 51)
Afghanistan
Sport country Pakistan (1988–2008)
 Afghanistan (2009–present)
Professional1998/1999
Medal record
Men's Snooker
Representing  Pakistan
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Busan Doubles[1]
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Busan Team[2]
Representing  Afghanistan
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Incheon Individual[3]
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Ashgabat 6-Red Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Ashgabat Team[4]

Life and career

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He was born in Afghanistan and lived as a refugee among the Afghans in Pakistan. He began representing Pakistan in 1988 as an international snooker player.[7] Saleh turned pro in 1995,[8] but lost his place after just one season. In 2003, he reached the finals of the IBSF World Snooker Championship by winning 14 consecutive matches, but lost 5–11 against Pankaj Advani.[9][10] At the cue sports competitions of the 2002 Asian Games, he won two bronze medals in doubles and team category. At the 2008 ACBS Asian Snooker Championship, Mohammad compiled a maximum break against Nguyen Nhat Thanh. At the end of the same year, he decided to retire in protest, because he "couldn't bear such injustice where cricketers were showered with cash awards on normal victories" and he "wasn't given anything."[8]

In November 2010, after moving back to Afghanistan, Saleh told the Gulf News, "I want to give back something to my country and the only way I can do this is to assist Afghanistan's development in sports, particularly in snooker as that is what I am good at."[11] He represented Afghanistan at the 2012 ACBS Asian Snooker Championship, reaching the quarter-finals,[12] and at the 2012 Six-red World Championship, reaching the last 32.[13][14][15] In the Jubilee Insurance 29th Asian Snooker Championship, he decisively beat his Pakistani, Mongolian and Iranian rivals.[6][16] On 19 June 2013, World Snooker announced that Mohammad didn't confirm his intention to compete in the Main Tour, and was replaced by Ratchayothin Yotharuck.[17]

Performance and rankings timeline

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Tournament 1995/
96
1998/
99
2008/
09
2012/
13
Ranking[nb 1] [nb 2] [nb 3] [nb 2] [nb 2]
Ranking tournaments
UK Championship A LQ A A
Welsh Open A LQ A A
World Open[nb 4] A LQ A WR
Players Tour Championship Final Tournament Not Held DNQ
China Open[nb 5] NH LQ A A
World Championship A WD A A
Non-ranking tournaments
Six-red World Championship[nb 6] A A QF 2R
Former ranking tournaments
Irish Open[nb 7] A LQ Not Held
Scottish Open[nb 8] A WD NH MR
Thailand Masters[nb 9] A LQ Not Held
British Open A WD Not Held
Former non-ranking tournaments
Red & White Challenge QF Tournament Not Held
Performance Table Legend
LQ lost in the qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament
(WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)
QF lost in the quarter-finals
SF lost in the semi-finals F lost in the final W won the tournament
DNQ did not qualify for the tournament A did not participate in the tournament WD withdrew from the tournament
NH / Not Held event was not held
NR / Non-Ranking Event event is/was no longer a ranking event
R / Ranking Event event is/was a ranking event
MR / Minor-Ranking Event event is/was a minor-ranking event
  1. ^ It shows the ranking at the beginning of the season
  2. ^ a b c He was an amateur
  3. ^ New players on the Main Tour do not have a ranking
  4. ^ The event was called the Grand Prix (1995/1996, 1998/1999 and 2008/2009)
  5. ^ The event was called the China International (1998/1999)
  6. ^ The event was called the Six-red Snooker International (2008/2009)
  7. ^ The event was called the European Open (1995/1996)
  8. ^ The event was called the International Open (1995/1996)
  9. ^ The event was called the Thailand Open (1995/1996)

Amateur finals: 8 (4 titles)

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Outcome No. Year Championship Opponent in the final Score
Winner 1. 1995 Pakistan Amateur Championship (1)   Mohammed Shafiq 8–5
Winner 2. 1999 Pakistan Amateur Championship (2)   Farhan Mirza 8–6
Runner-up 1. 2000 Pakistan Amateur Championship (1)   Muhammad Yousaf 4–8
Runner-up 2. 2003 IBSF World Snooker Championship   Pankaj Advani 5–11
Winner 3. 2005 Pakistan Amateur Championship (3)   Naveen Perwani 6–2
Runner-up 3. 2008 Pakistan Amateur Championship (2)   Muhammad Sajjad 3–7
Winner 4. 2013 Asian Snooker Championship   Omar Al Kojah 7–2
Runner-up 4. 2018 World Amateur Championship - Masters   Darren Morgan 0–6

References

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  1. ^ "BILLIARDS Snooker Doubles 3rd/4th Place (Game result)". 14th Asian Games Busan 2002. Archived from the original on 5 July 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  2. ^ "BILLIARDS Snooker Teams 3rd/4th Place (Game result)". 14th Asian Games Busan 2002. Archived from the original on 5 July 2003. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  3. ^ "Billiard Sports – Men's Snooker Single" (PDF). aimag2013.org. Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Billiard Sports - Men's Snooker Team - MEDALLISTS" (PDF). ashgabat2017.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Player Profile: Saleh Mohammed". Global Snooker Centre. Archived from the original on 18 January 2004. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Cueists Saleh, Senzai score wins". Pajhwok Afghan News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Saleh outclasses Omar in final to lift title". Daily Times. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  8. ^ a b Nashmi, Nabeel (13 June 2012). "Snooker: Saleh Mohammad, a star lost to negligence". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Hero's welcome for Saleh Mohammad". Dawn.com. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  10. ^ Turner, Chris. "Major Amateur Championships". cajt.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Chris Turner's Snooker Archive. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  11. ^ Saleh keen to develop snooker in Afghanistan, November 20, 2010.
  12. ^ "Asian Championship 2012". Cue Sports India. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  13. ^ "SangSom 6 Red World Championship 2012: Match Schedules of the Round Robin Stages" (PDF). worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  14. ^ "SangSom 6 Red World Championship (2012)". Snooker.org. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  15. ^ "SangSom World 6 Red Championship 2012". Cue Sports India. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  16. ^ Zuberi, Anwar. "Asif, Saleh among five unbeaten cueists in Asian snooker". Dawn. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  17. ^ "List Of Tour Players". worldsnooker.com. World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
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