‘That’s a little bit premature’ – BBC commentator questions snooker star’s ’emotional’ outburst at World Championship
BBC commentator Dennis Taylor questioned Hossein Vafaei over his “emotional” outburst at the World Snooker Championship.
The Iranian secured his place in the second round at the Crucible after a tense but thrilling victory over Barry Hawkins.
The match went to a decider after the pair were level 9-9 after 18 frames played.
Vafaei, who did not lead at all in the match until winning the final frame, let his emotions get the better of him as he closed on the win.
After potting a red to the top right pocket to go 50-0 in front he let out a cry of: “Come on!”
Taylor in the commentary box was a little surprised at the outburst, with snooker stars rarely calling out during matches.
He said during the BBC‘s coverage of the match: “Oh, that’s a little bit premature. I know he does get emotional, but he isn’t over the line just yet.”
Vafaei, 30, went on to score 73 to reach the second round for just the second time in his career.
After the upset he spoke about the pressure he felt during the deciding frame, explaining he had to show emotion in order to get over the line.
He said: “In the moment, during the deciding frame, my mind went negative.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
“I had to change something around. I needed to give something a go and let the animal come out again. It was a trick to my mind.
“When you get close to crossing the line, people can make mistakes. That was the only way.
“I was under lots of pressure. All the way I was down. What can I do? I’m always under pressure. I couldn’t handle it at the end. I had to show some emotion or I’m not human. I had to show to the fans that we feel the pressure. People want to see this.
“Beating the world number 11 in the Crucible with four centuries is the best performance I have had. The numbers don’t lie. I could easily have given up and not continued. I kept believing in myself that the game was there.
“I’m a lion. The heart of a lion. You can tell how much pressure I was on. My brain was frozen. I couldn’t see the shot. I was all over this table. I had to do something to turn it around.”