World Championship - ‘That is the wrong colour, isn’t it?’ – Watch moment Zhao Xintong ignores pink for black

Zhao Xintong marked his first win at the Crucible in comical fashion as he opted to finish off the 12th and final frame by attempting to sink the black, despite the pink still being in play. Not that it mattered, as he had all but wrapped up the first-round tie beating Jamie Clarke 10-2, but much to the surprise of Eurosport commentators Joe Johnson and Dave Hendon, instead of trying to pot the pink, Zhao chose to go straight for the black in the middle left pocket.

Ad/> As Zhao potted the blue and approached the table to presumably follow up with the pink before seeing the game out with the black, 1986 world champion Johnson said: “Well, that’s the wrong colour isn’t it? World ChampionshipZhao breezes past Clarke in first round2 HOURS AGO “Zhao Xintong has enjoyed himself!” Again, not that it mattered, but he missed the pocket as the match came to an end and Zhao, with a smile on his face, shook hands with an amused Clarke who offered warm words in the ear of the 25-year-old. Zhao was comfortable throughout the tie, and was leading 7-2 after the opening nine frames during Saturday’s first phase.

Only needing three more frames to proceed to the next round, he managed to get the job done before the interval, claiming all three following frames without reply. He will face either Shaun Murphy or Stephen Maguire, with Maguire currently leading 6-3 after the first nine frames.

The pair will conclude their tie on Sunday evening. -- Watch and stream all the action from the World Snooker Championship 2022 on Eurosport and discovery+.