Rocket paired with veteran at Crucible

World number one Ronnie O’Sullivan will be looking to better last year’s quarter-final exit by opening up with a 888.com World Championship victory against Stoke’s Dave Harold, his opponent still going strong at a sprightly 40 years of age.

Shaun Murphy will begin the defence of his title against Thailand’s James Wattana when this year’s prestigious tournament gets underway on April 15.