Saleh Mohammad Saleh (born 24 February 1973) is a former professional

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

player from

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. He represented Pakistan between 1988 and 2006. He reached the final of the

IBSF World Snooker Championship The IBSF World Snooker Championship (also known as the World Amateur Snooker Championship) is the premier non-professional snooker tournament in the world. The event series is sanctioned by the International Billiards and Snooker Federation. A nu ...

in 2003 and won two medals at

2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 � ...

Life and career

He was born in Afghanistan and lived as a refugee among the

Afghans in Pakistan Afghans in Pakistan ( ur, , , ) are temporary residents from Afghanistan who are registered in Pakistan as refugees and asylum seekers. They fall under the jurisdiction of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most of them ...

. He began representing Pakistan in 1988 as an international snooker player. Saleh turned pro in 1995, but lost his place after just one season. In 2003 he reached the final of the

, by winning 14 consecutive matches, but lost 5–11 against Pankaj Advani. 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 A maximum break (also known as a maximum, a 147, or orally, a one-four-seven) is the highest possible in a single of snooker. A player compiles a maximum break by potting all 15 with 15 for 120 points, followed by all six for a further 27 ...

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." In November 2010, after moving back to Afghanistan, Saleh told the

Gulf News ''Gulf News'' is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was first launched in 1978, and is currently distributed throughout the UAE and also in other Persian Gulf Countries. Its online edition was launch ...

, "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 Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

, particularly in snooker as that is what I am good at." He represented Afghanistan at the 2012 ACBS Asian Snooker Championship, reaching the quarter-finals, and the 2012 Six-red World Championship, reaching the last 32. In the Jubilee Insurance 29th Asian Snooker Championship, played

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, Pakistan, he decisively beat his Pakistani, Mongolian and Iranian rivals. On 19 June 2013 World Snooker announced, that Mohammad didn't confirm his intention to compete on the Main Tour, and was replaced by

Ratchayothin Yotharuck Ratchayothin Yotharuck ( th, รัชโยธิน โยธารักษ์, born 13 December 1995 in Nakhon Nayok province, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand) is a Thai former professional snooker player. Yotharuck has been playing snooker since he w ...

Performance and rankings timeline

Amateur finals: 8 (4 titles)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammed, Saleh 1973 births Living people Afghan snooker players Pakistani snooker players Asian Games medalists in cue sports Asian Games bronze medalists for Pakistan Cue sports players at the 2010 Asian Games Cue sports players at the 2006 Asian Games Cue sports players at the 2002 Asian Games Afghan emigrants to Pakistan Cue sports players at the 1998 Asian Games Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games