John Higgins leaves 'animal' Mark Selby wondering as snooker icon gets emotive after Crucible exit

John Higgins has been left gutted after he dropped out of the World Snooker Championships in Sheffield but instantly heaped praise on Mark Selby with an outside the box accolade.

The Wizard of Wishaw was appearing in just his second ranking quarter-final of the season heading into this clash and stormed into a 4-1 lead, but opponent Mark soon took control of the last eight tie and left Higgins with a mountain to climb at 12-6. It was too many frames for the Scottish legend to overcome and eventually he bowed out 13-7 after his first century of the session, on a day where fellow legend Ronnie O'Sullivan also exited The Crucible.

The 47-year-old was effusive in his praise and saluted Selby as an "absolute animal" – a verdict which gained a laugh from onlookers. And the Jester from the Leicester then asked the big follow-up question, adding: "What kind of animal?" Selby remains on the hunt for his fifth world title which would see him edge past Higgins on the all-time list.

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.