Right on cue: Liang Wenbo

Full name: Liang Wenbo

Nationality: Chinese

Age: 21 (DOB: March 25, 1987)

World Ranking: 40

Provisional World Ranking: 24

Nicknames: The Fearless, Wenbo' Selecta, Should he stay or should he go…

Career highlights: World Championship quarter-finalist 2008; individual silver and team gold at the 2006 Asian Games; 2005 IBSF World Under 21 Champion.

General: Liang came from nowhere to reach the quarter-finals of the World Championship in 2008 and delighted the Sheffield crowd with his attacking style. He beat former champion Ken Doherty in the first round at the Crucible and gave Ronnie O'Sullivan a scare before finally going down 13-7 to the eventual champ.

In a qualifying match for the Bahrain Championship last October he also had a 147, two 139s and 115 in a 5-1 win over Martin Gould. He also reached the last 16 of the Northern Ireland Trophy at the start of this season, although the 5-0 win over Peter Ebdon which took him there has since caused some controversy due to suspect betting patterns. He is now China's number two player after Ding Junhui.

Strengths: Wenbo has stunning long potting ability and when he gets in among the balls he can quickly and devastatingly build match-winning breaks in the blink of an eye. His carefree attitude sees him cope well with pressure situations and his sense of humour has endured him to spectators. He is a real character who could become a marketable star of the game if he breaks into the top 16.

Weaknesses: In a way his main strength is also his main weakness - his aggressive style can get him into trouble when things are not quite clicking for him. Being more selective with his shots would serve him well but his general safety play will need to improve if he is to consistently challenge the big boys.

Prospects: A bit of a rough diamond it really could go either way for Liang. He undoubtedly has bags of talent but he needs to become a smarter match player who does more than just delight with flashy brilliance. The Bahrain qualifiers offered a example of the good and the bad when it comes to Liang. After his amazing performance against Gould he lost the next day 5-2 to journeyman Michael Judge.

Trivia: At the 2008 World Championship, MC Roy Walker kept introducing him with the line "Should he stay or should he go?…It's Liang Wenbo" after Liang entered the arena early for his opening match with Ken Doherty.

During his last-16 game against Joe Swail at the same championships Liang fluked a red without noticing. He went back to his seat and had to be called back to the table by a laughing Swail and the referee after they told him he made the pot.

Is based at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield, England.

Is from the Chinese province of Heilongjiang which, despite only being the 16th biggest administrative division in the country, still has a population of over 38 million.

Is left-handed.

Received a wild card to the pro tour after winning the 2005 IBSF World Under 21 Championship.

The 2006 Welsh Open was the first main draw he qualified for and he went on to beat Nigel Bond 5-0 in the first round.

"Wenbo" is actually pronounced "Wenbore" in Chinese