Luke Littler's stance on World Cup of Darts snub as Peter Wright shares rival's thoughts
Luke Littler will not be representing England at the World Cup of Darts.
Peter Wright believes Luke Littler will not be too upset about missing out on a place in the England team for the World Cup of Darts. The 17-year-old is comfortably one of the world's best players but will not be involved at the tournament due to his ranking position.
The selection process is based on the PDC Order of Merit, which ranks players based on prize money won over a two-year period. Michael Smith and Luke Humphries are the highest-ranked English players on the list and will therefore represent their country at the World Cup.
Littler, meanwhile, is ranked 25th with his prize money total of £303,500 paling in comparison to some of his rivals. There have been calls for the PDC to change the selection process to allow players such as Littler to compete, but Wright believes he will be grateful for the extra free time.
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"To be honest, I think he's enjoying the time off and relaxing," the Scot told media including Express Sport before insisting there is no need to change the World Cup selection process.
"He keeps winning tournaments. It's always picked by the rankings and if you want to be playing for your country, you need to get yourself up the rankings. You can't just get invites personally. That's the rules."
Littler is known to enjoy his time away from the oche, having recently spent a few days in New York with his parents and girlfriend. They also indulged in Florida's world-famous theme parks, with Littler seen posing at the gates of Universal Studios in Orlando.
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The teenager is also a keen gamer and spends much of his free time playing EAFC, formerly known as FIFA, on his Xbox. After finishing as the runner-up at this year's World Darts Championship, he revealed that he spent a large chunk of his prize money on players for his virtual team.
Littler will get another well-deserved break during the World Cup just weeks after winning the Premier League title on his debut. The prize money gained from that event did not contribute to his ranking in the Order of Merit due to it being an invitational competition.
The absence of Littler means that the World Cup will not feature the player considered by many to be the sport's main attraction. It will also see him miss out on a potential £40,000 payday, with the winning team sharing a combined £80,000 and the runners-up collecting £50,000.
