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Shaun Murphy mocked BBC snooker pundit John Parrott over his retirement from the sport just moments after beating John Higgins in their World Championship semi-final. The Magician came out on top in a 17-15 thriller, edging the final few frames as he goes in search of his second title.

Murphy was effusive in his praise of Higgins, who would have been the oldest player ever to reach the Crucible final had he won, in awe of the Scot's ability to stay in matches and compete at the very highest level. At this point, Murphy noted that one of the reasons why Parrott decided to hang up his cue in 2010.

"I just came out today knowing that if I got my chances I could score," Murphy said. "And when I got back to level pegging I was like 'here we go', then I went two behind. In the interval I was just saying to myself: 'You've done it before and you can do it again if you get your chances'.

"But John Higgins, what a player. What a man. The harder it gets out here, the tougher he gets, the better he plays. [You're] just like 'will you ever give me a break?'"

Parrott then jumped in, saying: "You're not getting one of those!"

To which Murphy quickly responded: "I know. No wonder you retired."

Parrott and BBC host Hazel Irvine laughed at the exchange as the 1981 champion said: "I know, I was sick to death of seeing him."

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Murphy is in pursuit of a second title, 21 years after his first, and insists that he is a better player than the one who etched his name into sporting history in Sheffield that day.

"I think I am a better player [than the one who won it in 2005] and a more rounded, mature player," he added.

"I was 22 and that's 21 years ago and I'm a totally different prospect. A different package. I feel my scoring is still there as it ever was but feel I have become a more mature player. But there's not getting away from it, I'll say that I want to go out an play like it means nothing but it will mean everything."

Continuing his lavish praise of Higgins, Murphy said: "He's such a competitor. If I'm half the player when I'm in my 50s as he is I'll be very proud.

"When I was doing the aircrash investigation of the match, about how we got to this point, I was probably pushing the pedal a bit too much and I was thinking 'he wouldn't play that, Mark Selby wouldn't play that'. So I decided not to do that today, which was hard for me because my natural instinct is to attack all times. But I decided to not make a shot which is like, there you go make as many as you can. Maybe I am learning eventually!"