COMMENTATORS Shaun Murphy and Dennis Taylor engaged in an awkward war of words during today’s World Snooker Championship final.
Murphy and Taylor were calling the contest between for the BBC.
With Chinese star Zhao racing into a commanding lead, the commentary duo discussed how good the 28-year-old is.
When Taylor, 76, pointed out that many viewers may not previously have been aware of Zhao, or his brilliance, Murphy took a dim view.
The Northern Irishman, however, insisted: “A lot of friends from different parts of the world have been watching these World Championships Shaun and they have never seen this player play and they are absolutely amazed at how good he is.”;
Murphy, 42, snapped back: “You must be fairly new to the game then Dennis, because we are watching a former UK Champion here.”;
Not letting the matter rest, Taylor added: “They don’t live in the UK Shaun, that’s what I was saying.”;
An awkward silence followed, with nothing said for the next 34 seconds.
Zhao was previously banned .
The Cyclone was out of action for 20 months due to his involvement in a corruption probe – although he did not directly fix a match.
As a result, Zhao was stripped of his place on the professional circuit and made to compete as an amateur.
The Xi’an star earned his place at the Crucible by winning four qualifying matches.
On the Cyclone’s much-anticipated return to the sport, Murphy said: “The problem with Zhao Xintong is he’s really bloody good.
“It might be fair to say he’s done nothing in these 18 months but practice. He looks very, very sharp to me.
“There’s been quite a lot of fanfare about his return, which I’ve not been 100 per cent sure about, but he was caught, he took his punishment on the chin and since then has done everything right.
“There’s an element of rehabilitation, he’s done the crime and served his time and he’s back.”;
