Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen has launched a stinging attack on rival Peter Wright, suggesting it is time for 'Snakebite' to retire following his shock early exit from the Paddy Power World Darts Championship.
A Shocking Defeat at Ally Pally
The drama unfolded at Alexandra Palace where Wright, the former two-time world champion, suffered a humiliating 3-0 whitewash in the second round to debutant Arno Merk. The German, ranked 163rd in the world, produced the upset of the tournament so far against a clearly out-of-sorts Wright.
The Scot's performance was statistically dire. He managed only two 180s and recorded a painfully low tournament average of 79.20 – his worst ever at the iconic London venue. This defeat continued a miserable two-year slump for Wright, who has failed to progress past the quarter-finals in any televised ranking event in that time and has slipped to 30th in the PDC Order of Merit.
Van Gerwen's Blunt Assessment
Speaking after his own 3-1 victory over William O'Connor, Van Gerwen did not hold back in his criticism. The Dutchman, who would have faced Wright in the third round after Christmas, stated he was unsurprised by the result.
"I'm not really surprised by his performance because he's been playing crap lately," Van Gerwen told reporters. "I think it's time for him to retire anyway."
Wright's recent record supports Van Gerwen's harsh critique. The 55-year-old has been eliminated in the second round of five televised majors this year and, for the first time since 2012, failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts.
Mixed Reactions from the Darts World
Not everyone in the sport agrees with Van Gerwen's blunt verdict. Fellow Scot and two-time world champion Gary Anderson leapt to Wright's defence, urging critics to show patience.
"We can't play well all the time. People think we're robots," Anderson said. "Just give folk a break... We've seen Michael van Gerwen do that for probably the last decade. He has a blip and it's 'that's it, he's finished'."
Sky Sports pundit and former player Wayne Mardle described watching Wright's loss as "an awful watch" but pleaded with the legend not to make a knee-jerk retirement decision based on one poor performance at the sport's biggest event.
"He's been a classy ambassador for darts – brings that fun but also brings that amazing ability and a touch of class," Mardle added, hoping Wright would take time to reflect before making any major decisions about his future in the sport.
