John Parrott and Stephen Hendry clash live on BBC over World Championship debacle

Callum Vurley
Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:28:03 +0000

BBC pundits John Parrott and Stephen Hendry found themselves at odds during live coverage of the World Championship semi-final between John Higgins and Shaun Murphy on Thursday afternoon.

The two former champions disagreed over whether fatigue was affecting the players at the Crucible, where the contest finished level at 4-4 after the opening session.

It's a fascinating clash of opinions from two legends of the game, with Parrott convinced both competitors were struggling while Hendry wasn't having any of it.

Higgins marked his 100th match at the famous Sheffield venue with another determined display against Murphy.

Parrott was adamant that a decent rest would do wonders for both players.

"Do you know the best thing for this match? A good night's sleep. I am telling you now, this will be the best thing - they will come back tomorrow far better," he said.

The 1991 world champion reckoned the pair were carrying "hangovers" from their previous encounters.

"They are both having hangovers from the last match. Some of the balls they were missing at the start of the frame were just inexplicable. Tomorrow it will be miles better, you will see a better match," Parrott added.

Hendry wasn't buying his colleague's theory at all.

"I don't understand it. How can you not come out and be buzzing? I understand John was (playing) at 11pm last night. John would never say that. I certainly don't subscribe to Shaun Murphy having a hangover, not at all," the seven-time world champion responded.

It's worth noting that Higgins had barely any recovery time, with just 14 hours separating his victory over Neil Robertson on Wednesday evening and the start of his semi-final against Murphy.

Yet Hendry clearly felt that shouldn't matter when you're competing for a spot in the World Championship final.

Parrott stood firm when challenged, explaining his reasoning about Murphy's form.

"I will tell you why, because he is following a peak performance that's why. The last session against Zhao was as good as he has played in the championship. It's difficult to come back the next day and keep producing that level," he argued.

Hendry countered by pointing to the nature of the tournament itself: "That's why it's the world's biggest test, this competition."

Parrott had the final word: "We can argue about that all you like, but honestly they are definitely suffering a hangover.

"Explain to me why they are missing the balls they are missing."