'He gets an invitation despite not having achieved anything': World Series of Darts Finals criteria criticised after Whitlock inclusion

On the latest episode of Darts Draait Door, Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort offered their views on Michael Smith’s current struggles, the fallout from the World Cup of Darts, a fresh idea for MODUS, and the controversial selections for the upcoming World Series of Darts Finals.

Smith recently reached the last 16 at Players Championship 24, before bowing out to eventual winner Jeffrey de Graaf. Speaking afterwards to Online Darts, the 2023 World Champion remained typically bullish, insisting he still believes he can reclaim the Sid Waddell Trophy and brushing aside concerns over his recent dip in form.

Van der Voort, however, was far from convinced. “I don’t believe that at all,” he said. “As an athlete you’re often more insecure than you want to admit, especially when you’ve been playing poorly for a while. At first you think: it’s not too bad. But when you start slipping in the rankings and see others rising, you begin to wonder: will it ever come back?”

The Dutchman compared Smith’s situation to that of two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis, who once looked destined for a resurgence but ultimately lost the hunger to climb back. “Smith now has to deal with a different status,” Van der Voort continued. “He was a regular in the Premier League for years. Now he’s just one of many. That’s a switch not every top player can handle.”

Mixed pairs and World Series criteria

The discussion then turned to the World Cup of Darts, where England’s pairing of Luke Humphries and Luke Littler suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of Germany. Smith suggested afterwards that “egos” played a part, but both Vlottes and Van der Voort dismissed that idea. “I don’t think that was the case,” Vlottes argued. “They were just unlucky to meet Germany in that atmosphere. It was a madhouse – two Englishmen against a whole crowd. Clemens and Schindler played superbly and deserved the win.”

Van der Voort felt Littler, in particular, struggled to cope with the hostile crowd, while Humphries showed maturity in defeat. Still, he saw no evidence of the ego clash Smith hinted at. Vlottes went on to float a new concept: a mixed pairs tournament. “Why not pair Beau Greaves with Luke Littler? Or put together a Dutch team with Noa-Lynn van Leuven and Jimmy van Schie?” he suggested.

Van der Voort agreed that MODUS could be the ideal testing ground. “They’re already experimenting with special weeks,” he said. “Why not a mixed tournament? For the PDC it might still be a step too far, but for MODUS it would fit perfectly.”

Finally, attention turned to the World Series of Darts Finals, where Van der Voort criticised the PDC’s invitation policy. “It makes no sense at all,” he blasted. “You don’t take your own tournament seriously. Take Simon Whitlock, for example – he gets an invitation despite not having achieved anything. It’s just about the eight top names; the rest is pure padding.”