John Higgins earns Batman comparison as snooker ace Shaun Murphy left in disbelief by John Parrott quip
The Wizard of Wishaw was far from his best in his opening round clash with Joe O'Connor
John Parrott reckons that John Higgins is snooker's answer to Batman - with his incredible ability to escape from dangerous situations.
The Wizard of Wishaw started his bid for a fifth World Championship against English qualifier Joe O'Connor, and found himself 5-4 down at the mid-session break - in a tie where he struggled to find a way put together any strong breaks.
However BBC pundit Parrott left reigning Masters champion Shaun Murphy in stitches after likening his ability to escape from a slack morning session with the match still in the balance to that of Batman.
Parrott said: "Remember the old Batman episodes that you used to see every week, and Batman was always in a perilous situation. And then all of a sudden he'd get out of it.
"John Higgins is just like that. He always gets himself out of a situation when it looks like he's dead and buried. He's extricated himself from more perilous situations than Batman."
Murphy joked "wait there Robin," and said that O'Connor would be kicking himself not to have made the veteran pay for his lacklustre opening at the Crucible.
He said: "If you'd said to Joe O'Connor that you can be 5-4 up at the interval then he'd bite your hand off. But he was in first there at 5-3 and had to play a safety shot with the rest.
"That allowed John Higgins to get back in the frame. And he's given away the chance so cheaply it will really annoy him."
Whilst Higgins might've earned superhero comparisons, he admits that the Crucible presents a unique challenge as he nears his 50th birthday - staying awake beyond 9pm.
The veteran explained: "Playing at 10am means I feel as if I need to get up at half 6 or 7am to get my eyes adjusted.
"With me playing at night at 7pm, I was thinking about it. Around 9pm or half 9 I'm in bed. It just goes to show you how different your life is now.
"I'll be playing all day. So I'll try to get a couple of hours of sleep in the afternoon to get ready for the second session.
"It just feels tremendous being back here, regardless of if you're in good form or bad form. It's a special place to come back and play.
"In the last four or five years I've not really came in on the back of any wins that would give me some deep rooted confidence in myself. I'm hoping those two recent wins can give me confidence.
"I know how incredibly difficult it is to win this event. I've not won it for 14 years. It's going to be difficult, but I feel a lot better about my game this year.
"Even after all these years I don't think you get used to it in the first frame. It's just surreal."
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