Opening night at the BetVictor World Cup of Darts, in Frankfurt on Thursday saw a Belgian side made up of two PDC major winners slump to an opening defeat at the hands of a Hong Kong side who can boast no such lofty claim. Perhaps even more notable is that it was no surprise.
Former World Cup of Darts finalist, Paul Nicholson was among those to express profound reservations regarding Belgium’s prospects at the forthcoming tournament, suggesting the European nation could once again endure an ignominious group-stage elimination after omitting the player he believes currently represents the country’s most formidable competitive asset.
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The former Professional Darts Corporation star and highly respected analyst has questioned whether Belgium’s chosen pairing of Mike De Decker and Dimitri Van den Bergh possesses the requisite cohesion and competitive efficacy to navigate a potentially treacherous Group B assignment in Frankfurt.
Seeded sixth for this year’s tournament, Belgium have been drawn alongside Hong Kong and Slovenia. Nevertheless, Nicholson remains unconvinced that the two-time semi-finalists possess sufficient collective momentum to progress beyond the opening phase of the competition.
His apprehension stems not merely from recent performances but from what he perceives to be a broader incongruity surrounding the composition of the Belgian side.
De Decker, despite his considerable pedigree and undoubted natural aptitude, has endured a distinctly underwhelming campaign. The reigning World Grand Prix champion has been unable to establish any semblance of sustained consistency on the European Tour circuit, succumbing in the second round on eight successive occasions. Moreover, his ProTour exploits have yielded only a solitary quarter-final appearance throughout the season, a statistic which scarcely reflects the calibre of player many believe him capable of becoming.
Van den Bergh’s trajectory has been similarly disquieting. The two-time major champion, once regarded as one of the most mercurial and exuberant talents in world darts, has struggled to rediscover the scintillating form which propelled him to major glory. Significantly, he has not emerged victorious in a televised ranking major encounter since last year’s UK Open, an absence of elite-level success which has inevitably prompted scrutiny and speculation.
Consequently, Nicholson believes both men arrive in Germany with a substantial burden of expectation resting upon their shoulders.
Speaking on the Love the Darts Podcast, the Australian delivered a comprehensive appraisal of De Decker’s predicament whilst simultaneously reaffirming his faith in the Belgian’s long-term capabilities.
“I think Mike De Decker has still got an awful lot to offer this sport and it might have to be a little bit further down the track.
“I’m one of Mike’s biggest fans. I think he’s got incredible technique.
“I think he’s really solid in mind. I just don’t think his game is cohesive at the minute, both psychologically and maybe with his equipment.
“It seems like ever since he moved to a new manufacturer, it just hasn’t been quite there for whatever reason.
Whilst acknowledging De Decker’s latent potential, Nicholson identified what he considers to be the most compelling narrative surrounding Belgium over the last six months – namely the conspicuous absence of the individual he regards as the nation’s premier performer.
In Nicholson’s estimation, veteran campaigner Kim Huybrechts remains Belgium’s outstanding exponent, possessing an amalgamation of experience, form and competitive fortitude that renders his omission particularly striking.
“But I think the dynamic and the story over the last six months has been the best player in Belgium is not in the team.
“That’s Kim Huybrechts. He’s got the experience, he’s got the form, and you know he’s got the firepower and he doesn’t mind going toe to toe with people.
“I know that from personal experience, but he’s not ranked high enough to get in the team.
Despite his admiration for Huybrechts, Nicholson emphasised that the responsibility now rests squarely with Belgium’s selected representatives to vindicate their superior ranking positions and demonstrate why they have been entrusted with the nation’s aspirations.
“So, it’s the responsibility of the Belgians to go up and say, this is why we’re ranked higher than that guy.
“We can put the shirt on and we can put something together, not just to reignite them individually, but they could work so well together in this tournament, that they could actually change their careers after this.
“They could do incredible things, but they’re going to have to do something that I believe that they won’t, and that’s top this group.
Ultimately, however, Nicholson’s prognosis remained decidedly pessimistic.
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Although he acknowledged the transformative possibilities that a successful campaign could engender, he stopped short of predicting such an outcome and instead cast considerable doubt upon Belgium’s ability to emerge as group winners.
His concluding assessment was unequivocal.
“I don’t think they win this group.”
Should Nicholson’s prognostications prove accurate, Belgium may once again find themselves confronting an unanticipated and profoundly dispiriting premature exit, a scenario which would inevitably intensify debate regarding selection criteria and further amplify calls for the reinstatement of Huybrechts to the national set-up.
For a nation possessing a rich reservoir of talent and a distinguished pedigree on the World Cup stage, failure to advance beyond the preliminary phase would constitute a deeply chastening denouement and one that many observers would regard as a conspicuous underachievement.
See if Belgium can recover from their opening loss as the losing nations from Thursday’s opening games will play the third team from each group on Friday afternoon, before the decisive final group games are contested in a bumper evening session.
Following the conclusion of the group stage, the draw for the last 16 will take place on Friday evening, as the top four seeds England, Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Scotland enter the fray in round two on Saturday.
Images: Jenny Segers / PDC Europe
