A match at the Saudi Snooker Championship has been delayed without explanation on Thursday afternoon.
Mark Allen was due to face Mark Selby at the event in the Middle East, but the match was shifted to a later start date just hours before it was due to take place.
A statement from the WST official X account read: “Today’s afternoon session will now begin at 6pm local time, 3pm GMT, where Mark Allen takes on Mark Selby for a chance at the 167 prize & a place in the semi-final tomorrow.
“The second match will commence N/B 7pm local time, 4pm GMT.”
It wasn’t welcomed well on social media, with snooker fans criticising the decision online.
@LeeSum71 responded: “May as well cancel the rest of the day if the 2 Marks are starting at 2pm. They’ll be there till midnight.”
@rich_1109 stated: “Second match at 4pm? [laughing emoji] No chance with Selby and Allen.”
@ClassicshirtCDF hypothesised: “If this was the Welsh open with the delay and the lights all the players would be running to social media to call it a circus, funny how they aren’t [shrug emoji].”
It threatened to disrupt Ronnie O’Sullivan’s preparations for his quarter-final with Junhui Ding, which is scheduled for later in the day at 9pm GMT.
The event in Suadi has been a controversial one, not least because of the big-money prize on offer to players.
Anyone who sinks a 147 break will get the opportunity to pocket an astonishing £790,000 – a massive hike on last year’s bounty after no player was able to achieve the feat.
But not all players are enthused by the concept, with Mark Allen telling Sportsboom: “I genuinely think if they want to see a bit of history with the 167 then they should put it somewhere else. Outside of maybe Ronnie [O’Sullivan], I don’t know who could pot that ball for a million. It’s a massive amount of money.
“They could put it somewhere more sensible and then a lot more people would go for it I think. Because of where it is, a lot of people would be put off by it straightaway.
“For argument’s sake if people knew it was going on the blue spot once you pot the blue and pink it would make it a bit more exciting.”
Full Thursday schedule:
Selby vs Allen
Wilson vs Brecel
Trump vs Williams
O’Sullivan vs Ding
