Craziest foul of World Championship so far? Hossein Vafaei stakes claim with '100 miles per hour' strike against Judd Trump

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TNT Sports commentator Dominic Dale was left surprised that the cue ball did not jump out of a pocket after Hossein Vafaei committed one of the most eccentric fouls of the World Championship thus far.

Watch: 'Incredible' Vafaei foul as cue ball slams into pocket at '100 miles per hour'

Video credit: TNT Sports

Vafaei is not one to hold back on his shot selection and his matches often see entertaining drama - take his remarkable fluke along the rail against Jimmy White at the Northern Ireland Open in 2024 as an example.

But his run through to the second round at this year's World Championship has been defined by his newfound resilience, particularly compared to his implosion against Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Crucible three years ago - and he is embroiled in a wildly competitive last-16 clash against world No. 1 Judd Trump.

But as the pair resumed their tie for the second session on Sunday afternoon, Vafaei committed a foul which left him looking particularly unimpressed.

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In the first frame of the afternoon, the scoreline at four frames apiece and the Iranian 34-9 ahead, he looked to send a loose red into the right pocket at the top end of the table via a thin cut.

However, he had overestimated just how thin to contact the red, which resulted in him not only sending it against the near jaw, but also rocketing the cue ball into the middle left pocket, making for one of the most explosive fouls you are likely to see.

But TNT Sports commentator Dale felt Vafaei was actually unfortunate the cue ball stayed in the pocket. "What has he tried there? He’s tried to cut the red in at 100 miles per hour," Dale laughed. "Somehow that cue ball didn’t jump out the middle pocket! Look at this, bang, incredible."

Vafaei and Trump largely traded blow-for-blow throughout the afternoon, until the world No. 1 finally began to find some high-scoring momentum in the final three frames, which saw him come from 7-6 down to lead 9-7 with breaks of 100, 74 and 94.

As far as wild fouls go at this year's World Championship, Vafaei's is certainly the most emphatic, but several others may rival his claim for the strangest.

Shaun Murphy left Dale stunned when he sent the cue ball immediately into the top left pocket from a break-off shot during his second-round match against Xiao Guodong.

Watch: Wild Murphy error Dale has not seen for 'years' - 'What a mistake!'

Video credit: TNT Sports

"How long has it been since we’ve seen a player break off and find a corner pocket with the cue ball?" Dale queried on commentary. "It must be years since I’ve seen that."

Ding Junhui, meanwhile, suffered a costly miscue and left a free ball during the first session of his match against Zhao Xintong, which was punished when the world champion ran home an immediate century.

'Oh dear' - Ding has head in hands after leaving free ball with comical foul

Video credit: TNT Sports

Kyren Wilson, meanwhile, committed one of the more unfortunate fouls when he ran the cue ball into the right middle pocket after sinking a sensational long red.