Steve Davis admits Zhao Xintong's 20-month ban is a 'stain' as BBC pundits give their view

Wales Online

06-05-2025

Steve Davis admits Zhao Xintong's 20-month ban is a 'stain' as BBC pundits give their view
Zhao Xintong claimed his first World Snooker Championship title following an 18-12 win over Mark Williams - but his 20-month ban for betting offences remains "a stain" on his reputation
Snooker pundit Steve Davis called Zhao Xintong's 20-month ban "a stain" on his record - but he believes in second chances
(Image: Getty )
BBC punditry pair Steve Davis and John Parrott gave their sincere appraisals of Zhao Xintong after he beat Mark Williams to win his maiden World Snooker Championship. He became the first Asian player to lift the title following a 20-month suspension for betting-related offences that rocked the snooker world.
The gifted Chinese star outperformed Williams and held on to clinch an 18-12 victory on Monday. That was despite Cwm-born Williams launching a late comeback attempt in what can only be described as a Crucible classic.
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Zhao, 28, had been barred in 2023 due to his involvement in a match-fixing investigation - a controversy resulting in 10 players being either permanently banned or handed prolonged suspensions. Although Zhao wasn't found to have fixed matches himself, he confessed to links with others who had and faced penalties for betting on matches.
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Davis and Parrott nonetheless agreed Zhao has earned his chance at redemption on the baize. And recent events suggest the first Asian world champion is too talented to deny.
Commenting on Zhao's victory over Williams, Davis told the BBC's Hazel Irvine (via The Mirror): "I think we should celebrate [his World Championship win], the fact he plays breath-taking snooker. Obviously the blip, it's a stain on his CV - hopefully lessons have been learnt, by all players [and] not just him.
"I think most people would agree everyone deserves a second chance. And, boy, hasn't he taken it."
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Parrott echoed a similar sentiment as he added: "It's a second chance, and he's totally redeemed himself. He did the crime, he's had the time, he held his hand up, the association has handled it with the punishment he got.
Gwent native Mark Williams was all smiles despite his defeat in the final
(Image: MARK WILLIAMS/X )
"Two of his compatriots got life bans, it was handled very well. Here he is, he's got a second chance, he's come back and he won't be doing it again."
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Snooker legend Davis further lauded Zhao and continued: "Every time anybody put anything up to him, he responded. He's a cool customer. He just takes everything in his stride, and he's going to be a danger in the future.
"You see the quality of Zhao Xintong - it's the future and the shape of things to come. But not just from China, we're seeing more players come out from Europe as well. It's going to be a slow diversification around the world and snooker will be the healthier for it.
"From the UK's perspective, we've got some great young players coming through as well - it's going to be a great balance in the future. It's no longer just the top 16 that have it all their own way - the qualifiers are their own individual tournament and the qualifiers are getting stronger and stronger."
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BBC pundits Davis and John Parrott didn't shy away from acknowledging Zhao's dark period
(Image: BBC )
Zhao himself spoke about his suspension during the UK Championship in November, an event he won back two years prior. He referred to the incident as "a little mistake," acknowledging the challenge posed by the language barrier.
"Two years ago I made a little mistake, now I've come back," he said at the time. "I know how important snooker is to me and now I just want to come back to the snooker table. Let them know this is a big lesson, don't make the mistake. Play snooker, it's a very good thing."
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Williams, 50, attempted a brief resurgence during Monday's final session after trailing 17-8 from the afternoon's play. However, even the Welshman conceded he was running on empty, describing Zhao as potentially "the greatest potter he has seen."