By Saj Chowdhury BBC Sport in Sheffield

Ebdon has struggled in tour events but returned to form at the Crucible

Peter Ebdon might be a former world champion but few pundits would have predicted that the 2002 winner would once again be one of the finalists at The Crucible.

Unlike fellow recent champions, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ebdon's successes have been few and far between.

The 35-year-old from Wellingborough, a professional for 15 years, has won only six ranking events in total.

In comparison, Higgins, who has also won one world crown and turned professional in 1992, has picked up 17 ranking titles.

This season has been particularly poor for Ebdon, who is now based in Dubai, with three whitewashes - in the Northern Ireland Trophy, Welsh Open and China Open.

If Peter wins the World Championship, then that says a lot about his ability to produce on the big occasions Snooker correspondent Phil Yates

Snooker correspondent Phil Yates, who has followed Ebdon's career, said the player's return to form at The Crucible has not just been down to good luck.

"Ebdon is very single-minded. He has peaked for this year's Crucible event," Yates told BBC Sport.

"He's played so much better here than he has all season. In fact, this season, he's been appalling.

"But here (Sheffield) he's been so focused. Peter has obviously worked hard to get ready for the event. I can't explain what happened to him earlier in the season, but it appears he's timed a return to his best, just right."

Last year, Ebdon sparked controversy when his 'go-slow' tactics against Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals frustrated many including the BBC commentators.

However, Yates believes Ebdon is not concerned about what others think of his tactics.

"In the first three matches this year, he played at a decent pace. His win in the opening match over Michael Holt was impressive considering the poor state of the table," he said.

"And against Shaun Murphy in the quarters, he went for his shots and was very entertaining.

Ebdon beats Fu in last-frame epic

"In his first semi-final session against Marco Fu, he was accused of cagey slow play. I thought he didn't do himself any favours. He was not playing to his strength and I wondered, 'why change a winning formula?

"But Peter's not bothered about winning hearts and minds. As a 'grinder', he's concerned about making the maximum amount of money and winning tournaments."